Elis Dominate Doubles; Andrienko, Lu, and Photiades Win Three-Set Matches as Yale Secures Clutch 5-2 Victory over Brown
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale men's tennis team produced one of its best performances of the season on Saturday, besting Brown 5-2 in a tight match that featured three three-set matches and tested the nerves of players and fans alike. By posting a win at home in their season finale, the Bulldogs not only pushed their final record above .500, but also insured that Yale's seniors would be leaving on a high note. In a match that was defined by sudden swings of momentum and high pressure, the Elis held together as a team and summoned their best when it mattered most.
Saturday's match began well for the Bulldogs, as Yale's No. 1 and No. 2 doubles teams both finished quickly with 6-1 victories. It should be noted that although injury issues would hold him out of the singles round, Yale's Martin Svenning put in a gritty performance at No. 2 doubles and played well alongside senior Daniel Faierman. Saturday's impressive doubles performance marked the third straight match in which the Elis were able to secure the first point.
Despite the lopsided score lines in doubles, the singles round proved to be extremely competitive at every position. Brown's Greg Garcia was the first to finish, beating Yale's Ziqi Wang 6-3, 6-4; Yale freshman Stefan Doehler provided a quick response, however, with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Brandon Yeoh at No. 2 singles. Despite falling behind a break in the second set, Doehler refused to fold and fought back to a deciding deuce point at 6-5, which he won after an intense baseline rally. Faierman also played a close two-set match at the No. 4 position, where he fell 7-6(6), 6-2; the senior played a solid first set and established a 6-4 tiebreak lead before his opponent pulled away with some impressive winners.
With the score tied at 2-2, the last three matches all went to a third set. Yale's Photos Photiades finished first at No. 6 singles, taking his third set easily to cap off a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 comeback performance. This result marked the sophomore's third straight three-set victory and sets the stage for a promising junior campaign next season. The remaining two matches would end in similar fashion to Doehler's, with the "sudden death" deuce point proving crucial -- at No. 5 singles, Fedor Andrienko clinched the match for Yale after breaking his opponent at deuce in the final game to win 2-6, 6-3, 7-5; and at No. 1 singles, Tyler Lu also broke Brown's Justin To at deuce to take his third set 6-4 and finish his sophomore season in style.
With clutch performances all around, Saturday's victory will truly stand out as a highlight of the Bulldogs' spring season. Yale concludes the season with an overall record of 12-11 (2-5 Ivy) and a sixth-place finish in the Ivy League. And though the team will lose several important seniors to graduation, many of this year's starters will return next season with valuable experience under their belts. The future certainly looks bright.
Report by Cameron Ferguson '18, Yale Sports Publicity
