M. Tennis: Young guns power Penn at Princeton Invitational

Not often do freshmen make an impact during the first match of the season, but Penn's Mikhail Bekker and Aubry Wand helped to allay some fears surrounding the youthful men's tennis team.

Bekker reached the singles final in the "B" flight of the Princeton Invitational by winning his first three matches before falling to St. John's David Nylen, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.

"I was trying to do my best," Bekker said. "I played tennis in Moscow and in Europe, so this wasn't my first big tournament. I learned to do my best in playing matches. I was willing to show what I can [do]."

Bekker, who is from Russia, said that his teammates have helped him to transition to American life, which has allowed him to focus on his tennis.

"It's pretty impressive how well he is adjusting, considering a new country and language and being 16 and in Wharton," sophomore co-captain Dave Lynn said of the freshman.

"He's an amazing player. He's an amazing kid," Penn coach Mark Riley said. "It doesn't surprise me.... I expected, though, some of our other guys to get that far."

The Quakers were hampered by the loss of Lynn, their co-captain in his opening match. During a point at 5-5 in the first set, he slipped on a patch of moss that had formed at the back of the court, resulting in a twisted ankle and a subsequent retirement.

"I felt like I was playing pretty well," Penn's No. 1 singles player said. "It was my first match in a while, so it took me a little time to get some rhythm, but I was starting to play pretty well about the time it happened."

Lynn is currently day-to-day, but expects to play during the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships in New York from Oct. 3-7.

Like Bekker, Wand had success in the singles "B" flight, winning his first match before falling to Vinay Bhamidipati in three sets.

"Aubry won a first really good match and in the second round, he lost a tight one to a really good kid," junior co-captain Craig Rubin said.

"Aubry's going to be really good because he listens to the coach, he listens to the juniors and everybody above him," junior Todd Lecher said. "Three years from now, by the time [Bekker and Wand] are juniors and seniors, they're going to be winning a lot of matches."

Although the freshmen impressed Rubin, he was disappointed with his own play during the tournament, as he fell in the first round of the "A" flight.

"I didn't really play any good matches, but I'm looking forward to performing in the rest of the fall and the spring," he said.

Lecher, who advanced to the semifinals of the double "B" flight with Rubin, came away from the weekend optimistic for the season.

"Compared with this point last year... everybody is a little bit happier with themselves and the team's play at this point. Last year we had a miserable tournament," Lecher said. "I was happy with my performance, but obviously it wasn't up to where I would have liked it to have been."

Lecher and Rubin, the top-seeded duo in the "B" flight, defeated a pair from St. John's in their first match, 8-4, before falling in the semifinals to a duo from St. Bonaventure.

Bekker, set to play with Lynn in the "A" flight, instead paired with junior Justin Lavner. The doubles team advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to a pair from Yale in a tie breaker.

Freshman John Stetson did not play due to a nagging shoulder injury, but could become a key part of the doubles teams.

"I don't know what we're going to do with our doubles right now," Riley said. "We have a lot of different combinations and that's a good problem."

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