ITHACA, NY – cornell men’s tennis concluded its fall season with a strong showing at the ITA Northeast Regional Championships, poised to carry momentum into the spring and the NCAA Tournament. Despite a narrow defeat in the tournament’s round of 32, the team demonstrated significant progress and is now focused on rigorous preparation for upcoming competitions.
The duo of Petar teodorovic and Felipe Pinzon delivered a dominant performance in the opening round of the doubles draw before narrowly missing an upset victory against Pepperdine University’s top-seeded pair,falling in a third-set tiebreak. head coach Silviu Tanasoiu emphasized the match as a crucial learning chance, despite the frustration of the loss.
“we just didn’t play intentional enough,didn’t play aggressive enough,” Tanasoiu stated. “To close out that match, we were playing way too passive, and I think Pepperdine took advantage of it.”
The team’s immediate focus shifts to the Pro Tennis Tour (PTT) event hosted at Cornell this week, followed by preparations for the NCAA Championships, where Teodorovic and Pinzon will represent the Red. Tanasoiu anticipates a challenging PTT field, noting it is “much tougher than the first week we had,” and welcomes the competitive environment as ideal preparation for the NCAA tournament. “There are so many tough matches ahead for our guys, which is exactly what we’re looking for. And then simultaneously occurring the preparation for the NCAA for Petar and Felipe.”
