Andrienko, Faierman, and Wang all Resilient in Unfinished Matches as Yale Loses to No. 22 Columbia 4-0

NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Yale men's tennis team fell to an overall record of 11-8 (1-2 Ivy) on Saturday with a 4-0 loss to No. 22 Columbia at the Dick Savitt Tennis Center. This result continued Columbia's great recent form, as the Lions have now won three straight conference matches to start their Ivy League season, and look to be the Ivy League's strongest squad. Although Saturday's teams only completed the doubles round and three singles matches before the result was decided for Columbia (and the match cut short), the score of the remaining unfinished matches were a bright spot for the Bulldogs.

Columbia began the doubles round confidently and showed why it is one of the top-25 teams in the nation from the outset. Though Yale's No. 1 and No. 2 doubles teams found little success against their opponents, losing 6-2 and 6-3 respectively, Yale's No. 3 doubles pairing of Tyler Lu and Alex Hagermoser were impressive; the sophomore duo was matching Columbia's undefeated Max Schnur and Bert Vancura blow for blow until the match was cut short at 6-5.

In singles, Yale's top three players faced the toughest challenge and were the first to finish in defeat. At No. 2 singles, Martin Svenning's rebound from a disappointing first set against No. 101 Drago Ignat came up just short in a 6-0, 6-4 loss; and at the No. 3 position, Yale freshman Stefan Doehler's efforts were denied by Columbia's Ashok Narayana (8-3 on the season) in a 6-2, 6-3 loss. The match concluded with Lu, who did all he could against Columbia's Winston Lin (the No. 21 player in the country), falling in close straight sets 6-4, 6-3. Although this result gave Columbia four points and immediately ended the match, the remaining unfinished matches looked far more promising for the Elis. Senior Daniel Faierman and freshman Ziqi Wang had both established a service break lead in the second sets of their matches, and Fedor Andrienko was in a third set battle with Columbia's Mike Vermeer at No. 6 singles. Given more time, the Bulldogs might have been able to use this momentum to pick up some points and narrow an initially lopsided scoreline.

Now with a 1-2 Ivy League record from their last three matches, the Bulldogs are already looking to Sunday's away match against No.51 Cornell as an opportunity for redemption.  Yale and Cornell have played extremely competitive matches in recent years – including a 4-3 Big Red victory last year – and Sunday's match promises to be similarly tight.

Report by Cameron Ferguson '18, Yale Sports Publicity

Doubles
1 - No. 66 Lin/Vermeer (COL) Def. Andrienko/Doehler (YALE) 6-2
2 - Ignat/Narayana (COL) def. Svenning/Wang (YALE) 6-3
3 - Schnur/Vancura (COL) vs. Lu/Hagermoser (YALE) DNF 6-5

Singles
1 - No. 21 Winston Lin (COL) def. Tyler Lu (YALE) 6-4, 6-3
2 - No. 101 Dragos Ignat (COL) def. Martin Svenning (YALE) 6-0, 6-4
3 - Ashok Narayana (COL) def. Stefan Doehler (YALE) 6-2, 6-3
4 - Max Schnur (COL) vs. Ziqi Wang (YALE) DNF 7-6, 2-4{
5 - Shawn Hadavi (COL) vs. Daniel Faierman (YALE) DNF 6-4, 4-5

6 - Mike Vermeer (COL) vs. Fedor Andrienko (YALE) DNF 3-6, 6-3, 1-1