Harvard University’s men’s tennis team is preparing to defend its ECAC Championship title this weekend in Princeton, New Jersey. The Crimson, currently holding a 6-4 record for the season, will begin their campaign against Penn at 3:00 p.m. ET.
The team has a history of success in the ECAC Championships, having won the tournament 24 times. Last year, Harvard ended a three-year title drought by defeating Brown, Penn, and Princeton on its way to victory.
Last weekend, Harvard improved its record with wins over Buffalo (6-1) and Boston University (4-0), but lost narrowly to No. 13 NC State (3-4). In the latest ITA Rankings, Nathan Blokhin is ranked No. 27 nationally in singles while Rohan Murali is ranked No. 34. In doubles, Masato Perera and Rohan Murali are ranked as the No. 82 pairing in the country.
Murali and Blokhin have been consistent contributors in singles matches this season with records of 7-2 and 6-1 respectively. The doubles lineup has also been effective; James MacDonald and Perera have maintained a perfect 5-0 record at the No. 3 spot, while Kolos Kincses and Murali hold a near-perfect 6-1 record at court two.
Sophomore Benjamin Privara achieved his first two dual match victories last weekend, including a straight-set win over Clement Mainguy from Buffalo and an upset over Martin Borisiouk of NC State, who is ranked No. 11 nationally in singles.
Harvard holds an all-time series lead of 86-13 against Penn and currently has a six-match winning streak against them, having beaten Penn twice last season.
Following the ECAC Championship weekend, Harvard will return home for a doubleheader next Sunday against Pepperdine and Bryant.
