This past Friday and Saturday, the men’s tennis team travelled to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York for the Ivy-Big Ten Challenge. Princeton, ranked No. 34, competed against unranked Michigan and No. 64 University of Iowa. The Tigers split the matches, losing 7-0 to the Wolverines and clinching a 6-1 victory over the Hawkeyes to conclude the Big Ten Challenge.
Princeton (1-2) played Michigan (3-2) in the challenge opener. Despite the emphatic 7-0 score line, the match was not nearly as lopsided as the Wolverine’s sweep would indicate. The Orange and Black pushed the doubles point, falling finally in the third match. Similarly, the men’s squad showed resilience. Juniors Alexander Day and Josh Yablon both extended their matches to third sets, holding off the eventual Wolverine sweep.
The Tigers rebounded quickly after their loss to claim their first win of the new season against the University of Iowa (1-1). The Princeton squad won the doubles point against fierce competition. After conceding a loss on court two, close victories by Day and junior Jonathan Carcione on court one and Yablon and freshmen Jimmy Wasserman on court three sealed the point for Princeton. On the singles side, Princeton won in dominant fashion, claiming five out of six matches. Sophomore Diego Vives claimed the first-singles victory in two sets to lead the Princeton effort.
Despite a shaky start, including an earlier loss to the University of Wisconsin (4-0), the Tigers showed great resilience in the face of a tough schedule. Indeed, Princeton played three Big Ten opponents within the span of a week. Prior to this season, Princeton had not faced the Badgers since 1995 and the Hawkeyes since 1990. The Tigers played Michigan in 2013.
As the season opens, Princeton will look to replicate its success from last year. The Tigers qualified for the NCAA tournament last season, their first appearance in the tournament since 1998. Though the Tigers graduated several important players, the Princeton squad remains relatively intact. In fact, five of six from doubles and four of six from singles from last year’s NCAA lineup will return to play for Princeton.
In addition to an NCAA bid, the Tigers will also compete in a variety of tournaments and invitations throughout the season. This includes the Penn Invitational, Ivy Plus Tournament, Porsche Napa Valley Classic, Farnsworth Invitational, ITA/USTA Regionals, and theLSU Fall Invitational. Last year, junior Tom Colautti won the top singles flight at the Ivy Plus Tournament. Furthermore, Princeton wrapped up play in the ITA/USTA Regional with a double team making the semifinals and Diego Vives advancing to single quarters.
Princeton will return to Jadwin Gym this Saturday, Feb. 6, for their first home game of the season. The Tigers will face off against Navy to start a busy weekend. Princeton will play Georgetown soon after to finish matches for the day. The Tigers will resume action on Sunday with another double-header. This time, the Princeton squad will play the New Jersey Institute of Technology in the morning and see further action in the afternoon against the University at Buffalo.
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