Harvard men’s tennis team lost to Penn in a close 4-3 match during the opening round of the ECAC Championships held in Princeton, New Jersey. The Crimson, now with a 6-5 record, began the contest by securing their sixth consecutive doubles point.
After losing on the top doubles court, Harvard’s Kolos Kincses and Rohan Murali claimed a 6-2 win at the No. 2 spot. James MacDonald and Masato Perera then clinched the doubles point for Harvard by defeating Parashar Bharadwaj and Matt Rutter 6-4.
Penn responded quickly in singles play, winning straight-set matches on courts one and three to take an early lead. Masato Perera tied the match for Harvard with his second victory of the day, beating Justin Chung of Penn 6-2, 6-3 on court four.
A retirement by Penn’s Matt Rutter on court five allowed Harvard to regain a narrow lead at 3-2. Mitchell Lee was ahead in his match before it was suspended.
However, Penn secured wins in the final two singles matches at positions two and six to claim overall victory.
Harvard will next face Dartmouth at noon tomorrow in Princeton.
