On a tear

Junior Mikhail Bekker demonstrated in no uncertain terms on Saturday why it's so important that the Penn men's tennis team keep up its increased conditioning regimen.

Locked in a grueling three-set match against Brown's Basu Ratnam, Bekker pulled away with the win after Ratnam's legs started cramping early in the third set. Bekker, who still appeared fresh even after playing a tough doubles match earlier in the day, put the set away to give Penn the 4-3 win over defending Ivy League champion Brown.

"It's just about who's got more heart, who's tougher," said Bekker, who added that Saturday's match was his biggest win in his three years at Penn. "They're the defending Ivy champions, and we lost to them last year, so this win was huge."

After beating Yale 5-2 on Friday, the Quakers have put together three consecutive Ivy League wins for the first time under head coach Mark Riley, who took over in 2000. Penn (15-4, 3-0 Ivy) has now won 12 straight matches overall, setting a new school record. The previous mark was 11 consecutive victories and was set back in 1936.

"That was the best win of my career right there," said Riley. "We found out what kind of team we had."

The Quakers lost the doubles point for the first time in Ivy League play and dropped two of the first three singles matches against Brown. Sophomore Jason Pinsky, Bekker and freshman Jonathan Boym -- Penn's Nos. 1, 2 and 3 singles players, respectively -- all had to win their matches to keep the winning streak alive.

Boym finished first, beating Eric Thomas 7-5, 2-6, 6-0, coming back strong in the third set with deep forehands and timely passing shots.

After accounting for the team's only loss in the Ivy League opener against Princeton, Boym was hungry for a chance to redeem himself.

"It was really important on a personal level," said Boym, who also won his singles match against Yale Friday. "I have a lot of pride. After losing against Princeton, I went into 'Pinsky mode' and went to the gym twice a day to make sure that the next time we play a match, I post a 'W.'"

Pinsky finished next, beating Dan Hanegby 7-6 (5), 6-2.

Against Yale, Pinsky lost to Brandon Wai 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4, after leading 4-1 in the third set. Up 4-1 in the second set against Hanegby, Pinsky made sure he didn't let this match slip away.

"I just lost focus" against Yale, Pinsky said. "I knew we had clinched, and I just started trying to end points too quickly, with the first or second shot. I started slowing down and extending the rallies" against Brown.

Pinsky's win put the match in the hands of Bekker, the Quakers' co-captain and the most experienced of the three top singles players.

Bekker cruised through his match against Yale 6-0, 6-0, to win before some of his teammates had even finished their first set. Against Brown, he found himself in a completely different situation.

"There's a lot of pressure, but the other guy has pressure too," Bekker said of playing the deciding match against the Bears.

After hitting a clean winner to take the first-set tiebreaker 12-10, Bekker lost the second set by netting two straight forehands. It looked like the momentum might have swung in Brown's favor, but Ratnam called for an injury timeout at 1-1 in the third set. Soon thereafter, Ratnam's leg cramps began to visibly hinder his mobility. Bekker easily finished the set to win 7-6 (10), 9-6, 6-2, and give Penn the victory.

"Bekker won an unbelievable tiebreaker and then just broke the guy down physically," Riley said. "Everyone stepped up.

"We'll enjoy this tonight, but we're not satisfied because we had to play perfect after we got down. I don't know if we've ever beaten Harvard in my lifetime, and we haven't beaten Dartmouth on the road. So we'll keep humble."

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