The No. 10 University of Arizona men’s tennis team (26–4, 6–2 in Big 12) swept Harvard University (20–7, 5–2 Ivy) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, May 3 at the LaNelle Robson Tennis Center. With the victory, Arizona makes its third straight appearance in the tournament’s Sweet 16 while keeping its record in this portion of the tournament perfect, not losing a single set in any of the first and second round matchups over the years.
Arizona and Harvard each came into the game on 4–0 sweeps, with Arizona winning against the University of Denver and Harvard University over the University of Washington. The Wildcats and Crimson matched up for the first time in each of their programs’ storied histories, with Arizona showcasing its dominance and eagerness to continue rolling.
There was no question that the Wildcats were met by a true match as the Crimson brought some firepower in the No. 39 duo of Masato Perera and Benjamin Privara, No. 34 Daniel Milavsky and No. 90 Privara. Despite this effort, the Crimson were no match for the red-hot Wildcats.
Doubles
Doubles started out in the favor of the Crimson as Harvard’s David Lins and Milavsky secured the first doubles set against Arizona’s duo of Iñaki Cabrera-Bello and Colton Smith swiftly on court 1, 6-2. However, the Wildcats found their groove, winning on courts 3 and 2 to secure the doubles point with scores of 7-5 and 6-3, respectively.
Singles
Arizona’s singles matchups were electric, with the Wildcats winning courts 6 and 1 in two sets. On court 6, Casper Christensen was the first Wildcat to triumph as he defeated Harvard’s Mitchell Lee 6-0, 6-3. Then on court 1, Smith would fly right by Harvard’s Milavsky going 6-3, 6-3. Finally, despite dropping the first set, Arizona’s Jay Friend emerged victorious as he defeated Harvard’s Privara on the back two sets, going 3-6, 7-5, 6-2.
Looking ahead
Arizona will be pitted against University of Virginia on Saturday, May 10 at the Sheridan Snyder Tennis Center.
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