NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Chris Drake, The Cary Leeds Head Coach of Men's Tennis, will welcome three newcomers to Yale this fall. Krish Gupta, Edward Liao and Jason Shuler all bring strong credentials both on and off the court.
"We are thrilled to be adding Jason, Eddie, and Krish," Drake said. "We believe they all have the potential to play high-level college tennis and contribute to our goals as we strive to improve our results in Ivy play and nationally. They are all highly committed to their development, and we think they will thrive in our program. Not to mention, they are great students and high-quality people."
Here is a closer look at the newcomers:
Krish Gupta
Fremont, Calif.
Mission San Jose High School
Before Yale: Reached No. 1 in the national rankings in Boys 16s combined and doubles… No. 22 in Boys 18s combined ranking… Won gold ball at 16s clay courts and indoor nationals in doubles… Finalist in 18s Easter Bowl doubles… 2023 NorCal Junior Tournament Player of the Year… Won both 14s and 18s sectionals in NorCal… Ranked as high as No. 25 by Tennis Recruiting… First team All-League in singles at Mission San Jose High School… Won NCS individuals in singles… Two-time NCS MVP… Two-team team captain.
Personal: Played multiple sports, including basketball, soccer and swimming… Reached ABRSM level 8 in piano.
Why Yale? "The camaraderie on the team was fantastic, and I loved the coaching staff. Yale gives me a unique opportunity to develop as a tennis player and a great person while also getting great academics."
Drake on Gupta: "Krish is a strong ball striker who can trade groundstrokes with anyone. He also plays great doubles, as evidenced by his stellar junior doubles results. We also love that Krish seems to play his best tennis in team competition, which will serve him well in college tennis."
Edward Liao
Commack, N.Y.
Commack High School
Before Yale: Ranked as No. 18 recruit in the country by tennisrecruiting.net (5-star recruit/blue chip)… Ranked as high as No. 37 nationally in USTA singles rankings u18 (2024)… UTR rating of 12.37… 2023 New York State Champion at Commack High School… All-State since seventh grade… Three-time Suffolk County Champion… Helped Commack to Long Island championship and New York state finals in 2022.
Personal: Sister Kimberly played tennis at MIT… Member of the USTA Long Island Junior Council, helping spread awareness about tennis and providing opportunities for underprivileged kids to play through clinics and racquet drives.
Why Yale? "Yale has the best combination of incredible academics, a supportive coaching staff, and welcoming people. I chose Yale because it seemed like where I would grow the most as a tennis player and person."
Drake on Liao: "Eddie is a big, strong, athletic player who has developed an imposing game over the last year. He has both a big serve and forehand, which he can use to dominate opponents. Eddie also loves to play, works hard and is a tough competitor."
Jason Shuler
Scarsdale, N.Y.
Scarsdale High School
Notes: Transferred from Williams College where was an ITA All-American in doubles and named second team All-NESCAC in singles and doubles… ITA Scholar-Athlete selection at Williams.
Before Yale: 2021 National Indoors 18U doubles finalist… 2021 national doubles champion… 2022 Eastern Section second-place award… National ranking high of No. 15… Two-time All-State selection at Scarsdale High School… Westchester/Putnam Co-Player of the Year in 2019.
Personal: Father rowed crew at Dartmouth… Uncle was on the ski team at West Point.
Why Yale? "The guys on the team were extremely welcoming and have a great relationship with the coaching staff. Yale also has an exceptional academic reputation and offers an amazing balance between academics and athletics."
Drake on Shuler: "Jason has a big game, and during his time off last year, he was able to secure some great wins against players from P4 teams. He loves to play tennis, works very hard, and has the weapons to influence the match against anyone he plays."
