Zachary Ong notched his team leading 9th singles win of the year as Cornell’s men’s tennis team downed Maryville College 6-3, Sunday at the Van Der Meer tennis center in South Carolina for their second consecutive dual win.
The Rams built an early 2-1 lead in the dual claiming victories from No. 1 pair Alexander Hadler-Strumlauf and Federico Polidori (8-4) and No. 2 tandem Ong and Chris Penas-Hull. Cornell’s Edwin Holyoake and August Krahn were edged 8-5 at the No. 3 position.
Cornell claimed straight-set victories in three singles matches. Hadler-Strumlauf won 6-2, 6-1 at the top of the lineup, evening his singles record to 6-6 this season. At No. 2, Polidori captured a 7-6, 6-2 win, while Ong clinched the match for the Rams winning 6-0, 7-6 at No. 3.
Penas-Hull completed the day in singles with a come from behind win defeating Jackson Meyer of Maryville 1-6, 6-4, 10-8.
Holyoake fell at No. 5 and Krahn was narroly defeated in a third set tiebreaker at No. 6.
Earlier in the week, the team took a win against Brevard College 7-2.
Cornell started the match off strong earning a doubles sweep for the first time this season. Juniors Alexander Hadler-Strumlauf and Federico Polidori gave the Rams a quick point winning at No. 1 doubles 8-2. Chris Penas-Hull and freshmen Zachary Ong teamed up for their team leading seventh win together this year at No. 2 claiming an 8-5 win. The freshmen tandem of Jackson Smock and August Krahn earned their first collegiate doubles wins, and completed the sweep pulling out their match in a tiebreaker 8-7(4).
Hadler-Strumlauf kept the momentum going giving the Rams their fourth point on the day cruising to a 6-1 6-2 win at No. 1. Polidori provided the clinching match for Cornell in a super tiebreak win at No. 2, 0-6, 7-6(6), 10-7.
Penas-Hull (6-4, 6-2) and Ong (6-7(3), 6-1, 10-6) added singles wins of their own at No. 4 and No. 2 to round out the day.
Edwin Holyoake (2-6, 5-7) along with Smock (5-7, 2-6) fell in their matches in the No. 5 and 6 spots respectively.