Despite inclement weather conditions and a change of venue during the match, the Penn men's tennis team managed to post an impressive 7-0 shutout of Navy yesterday as they prepare for the start of Ivy League play this weekend.
The start of the match saw near-ideal conditions at the H. Hunter Lott, Jr. Tennis Courts, with blue skies, warm temperatures and only a minimal breeze. However, winds picked up after doubles play ended, and the overcast skies eventually produced rain.
Three matches were still on courts when the decision to move indoors was made, but the match was already secured by the Quakers (8-4) as they made their way to the Robert P. Levy Tennis Pavilion.
"I'm proud of the guys, we stuck through [the playing conditions]," senior co-captain Ryan Harwood said. "We won, 7-0, versus a team that is not easy to beat 7-0. So I'm proud of them and it's good for our mental toughness."
"I think it was a good match for us to play two days before our Ivy League season with a team that will gut it out and play for every point," Penn Assistant Coach Joel Berman said. "Obviously, today's conditions were really tough so it was also good mentally for our team."
Penn took the initial team point in doubles play by winning two out of the three matches.
Sophomores Anthony Pu and Craig Rubin teamed up to defeat Navy's sophomore Davy Lee and freshman Brandon Carter, 8-3. Freshman Jimmy Fairbanks and sophomore David Lynn secured the doubles point with a 8-4 victory over the Midshipmen's freshman duo of Daniel Huynh and Matt Walton.
Harwood and sophomore Todd Lecher fell to the Midshipmen's senior tandem of Cameron Lickle and Chris McGrath.
"It seems like we all played well," Fairbanks said. "Our doubles has improved a lot over the year. I feel like everyone really stepped up for the match and came to play."
The Quakers swept singles play with only one match being decided in a third set. Harwood rebounded from his doubles defeat to top Lee, 6-2, 6-2, in the first-seeded match.
Third-seed Alex Fritz provided a strong showing over McGrath, 6-4, 6-0. Fairbanks won his second match of the day with a 6-0, 6-1, dismantling of Walton in the sixth-seeded match.
The final three matches were all in the second set of play when the decision was made to finish the match inside.
Rubin defeated Huynh, 7-5, 6-3 in fifth-seeded play.
"I definitely didn't have my best stuff today," Rubin said. "But I think I competed well and played some of the close points well. Overall, you can't play great everyday, so it's just about competing."
Second-seeded Lynn outlasted Lickle after a third-set super tiebreak, 6-7(6-4), 6-1, 1-0(10-3). Lecher wrapped up play with a hard-fought, 6-4, 6-3, victory over Carter.
Brown and Yale also defeated the Midshipmen by convincing margins this season. The Bears won, 7-0, and the Elis were victorious, 6-1. Seemingly, the Quakers are on par with some of their Ivy League foes. However, the true challenge will come this weekend when the Ivy season commences with Penn visiting Columbia tomorrow and hosting Cornell on Saturday.
"I'm really looking forward to [the Ivy League season] and I know all the others guys are too," Rubin said. "We're real hungry this year and we think we can do something special. We're ready to go."
