Harvard men’s tennis lost a close 4-3 match to South Florida on Mar. 29 in Tampa, Florida, marking the team’s final non-conference contest of the season.
The result highlights the competitiveness of both teams as Harvard aimed to finish its non-conference schedule on a high note before moving into Ivy League play.
Harvard started strong by securing the doubles point. Benjamin Privara and Nathan Blokhin won their match 6-4, while Melchior Delloye and Kolos Kincses clinched another victory with a dominant 6-1 performance. However, South Florida responded during singles play with straight-set wins on courts two and six, taking an early lead.
With South Florida ahead 3-1, Harvard’s Blokhin rallied for a three-set win on court three, followed by Masato Perera’s hard-fought victory on court four to even the score at three matches each. The overall result came down to the final singles contest where Hugo Car defeated Privara in three sets (4-6, 6-3, 6-4), giving South Florida the win.
Doubles victories were recorded by Privara/Blokhin and Delloye/Kincses for Harvard. In singles action for Harvard, Blokhin defeated Agustin Cuellar (3-6, 6-2, 6-1) and Perera overcame Stepan Mruzek (6-4, 3-6, 6-4).
Looking ahead, Harvard will shift its focus to Ivy League competition as it prepares to host Princeton next.
