Men’s tennis opens fall season with tournament competition, looks ahead to ITA Regionals

With returning veterans and a nationally recognized incoming class, Princeton men’s tennis has begun its fall season with opportunities to test both its experience and its depth. Following September competition at the Orange and Blue Invitational, ITA All-Americans, and the Farnsworth Invitational, the Tigers now turn towards a busy October schedule featuring regional and Ivy League tournaments.

The Orange and Black welcomed first-years Alex Luo, Ford McCollum, and Simeon Stankovic this fall, forming a recruiting class ranked second in Division I by Tennis Recruiting Network. Alongside an experienced returning group, the newcomers give Princeton several players to watch as the season progresses. 

Tigers begin fall competition on the road

Princeton’s opening event was the Orange and Blue Invitational in Charlottesville, Va., from Sept. 11–13. The tournament featured individual singles and doubles competition involving players from Princeton, Virginia, Penn, Virginia Tech, Duke, James Madison, and Old Dominion.

Attention then shifted to Tulsa, Okla. for the IA All-Americans. Senior Paul Inchauspe entered the tournament ranked second in the ITA preseason singles rankings, earning direct entry into the singles main draw. Inchauspe also received main-draw entry in doubles alongside senior Landon Ardila, while Ardila, senior Aleksandar Mitric, and junior Milan Markovits were scheduled to begin singles competition in the preliminary rounds.

Returning players and newcomers contribute at Farnsworth

Back at Princeton, the Tigers hosted the Farnsworth Invitational from Sept. 25–27, with the weekend producing a mix of singles results and several doubles victories.

Mitric opened with a decisive 6–2, 6–1 singles win against Drexel on Friday before following it with a 7–5, 6–0 victory against Florida on Saturday. Senior Evan Wen also began the weekend with a straight-set victory, defeating Drexel 6–4, 6–2. Markovits also found success in singles, defeating Drexel in a three-set match. 

Luo contributed two singles wins in his first Farnsworth appearance. The first-year defeated Buffalo 6–2, 6–3 on Friday and Dartmouth 6–4, 6–0 on Saturday, before falling to Purdue in Sunday's competition. 

For McCollum and junior Meecah Bigun, the final day brought an opportunity to finish on a stronger note after singles losses earlier in the weekend. McCollum defeated Dartmouth 6–1, 6–4, while Bigun surrendered just two games in a 6–2, 6–0 win against Drexel.

The pair also found success together on the doubles court, recording an 8–4 win against a Buffalo duo on Saturday before winning by the same score against Drexel on Sunday.

Princeton looks toward October tournaments

The Tigers’ next opportunity came at the Battle of the Bay in San Francisco, where Mitric and Ardila competed in singles and partnered in doubles. The field includes players from programs such as TCU, Texas, Stanford, and Duke, offering another test for the Princeton seniors. 

Beyond this week, Princeton is scheduled to compete at ITA Regionals in Philadelphia from Oct. 15–20 before returning home to host the Ivy League Championships from Oct. 24–26. After a September featuring both returning players and newcomers, these upcoming events will provide the next opportunity to see the Tigers’ progress.

Siya Mishra is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’

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