On a clear Friday afternoon, Penn men’s tennis hosted the Columbia Lions for the team’s fourth match of Ivy League play. Columbia, leading the Ivy League, entered the match fresh off two dominant wins against Yale and Brown. Penn lost to Columbia with a 4-1 score, falling to sixth place in the Ivy League conference.
Marked on many calendars, this matchup featured a showing of both teams’ incredible talent and level of play.
The Quaker’s (16-8, 2-2 Ivy) leading duo, senior Manfredi Graziani and junior Aaron Sandler, stand as one of the most dominant doubles pairs in the country, currently ranked 28th in the ITA national rankings.
Facing them, the pride of the Columbia Lions (13-6, 3-0 Ivy), Michael Zheng, back-to-back men’s tennis singles champion, paired with Nicolas Kotzen.
The doubles match proved to be as exciting as anticipated, with Graziani and Sandler able to come on top in the battle of juggernauts 6-4. Columbia quickly picked up an equalizer in taking the two-spot 6-1.
As the other matches finished, fans, Lions, and Quakers lined the far court to cheer on the deciding doubles match. Sophomore Shaurya Bharadwaj and freshman Nischal Spurling, though able to push a 7-5 score, were unable to secure the finish, dropping the set and the doubles point to Columbia.
Carrying the doubles momentum, Columbia sprang into singles play, taking early leads in just about every match. Across the six courts, however, Penn fought back to make things competitive.
The matchup between Graziani and Zheng was a thriller for anyone involved for just over a set. While Zheng jumped out to an early 4-1 lead, Graziani clawed his way back several times, trading heated points until Zheng prevailed in a 7-6 tiebreaker.
Demonstrating the composure and tenacity that earned those championships, the Lions continued in top form through the second set, taking it 6-1.
Across the courts, all matches closed their first sets with tight scorelines, all except Bharadwaj’s match against Columbia’s Sachin Palta.
After falling behind early in the first set, Bharadwaj came alive. Playing with energy, speed, and volume that depicted a match of tennis in its purest form, Bharadwaj gave off an infectious sense of fun. Climbing back from the early deficit, Shaurya took control and never let go. Winning the match in two sets, 6-3, 6-1.
The only near rival to Shaurya’s energy might’ve been the crowd itself. The show out at Hamlin Tennis Center was easily one of the largest the team has seen — and heard — this season.
Play on the odd courts finished up before the even, shifting the stadium to one side as Columbia led 3-1. Despite competitive matches still ongoing, Columbia would capture the win, ending the match 4-1.
Although they suffered a disappointing loss, the Quakers have lots to be proud of from Friday’s match. Penn men’s tennis carried that momentum into an away match against a tough Cornell (15-3, 3-1 Ivy) team, falling just short against the Big Red 4-3. Penn will host Brown (15-11, 0-4 Ivy) and Yale (16-6, 3-1 Ivy) next week to close out spring Ivy League play.
