HAVERFORD, Pa. — The Haverford College men's tennis team opened up its fall slate in earnest with the Haverford–Swarthmore Invitational, taking to the Bramall Courts on the Haverford campus from Sept. 26–28 as the Fords showcased their depth against strong national competition.
Haverford vs. Hamilton
On the Bramall Courts, Haverford opened its Invitational against Hamilton on a seasonably warm Friday afternoon, collecting one doubles victory and four singles wins.
In doubles play, Niki Lavu and Owen Kilmer outlasted Antonio Chavez and Alexei Katelevsky in an 8-6 pro set. Hamilton took the other two matchups, but the Fords responded strongly in singles. Kilmer defeated Tarun Kowar 6-3, 7-5, while first-year Aarush Kumar earned his first collegiate victory against Eerik Villem Aadamsoo, pulling out a first-set tiebreak before cruising in the second, 7-6(5), 6-1.
Robbie Vazquez secured his first career singles win, topping Akshat Dhull 6-1, 7-5. Chait Krishna added another point for the Fords with a 6-3, 6-2 decision over Ignatio Tran.
Haverford vs. NYU
In doubles, Owen Kilmer and Niki Lavu handled Seiya Kudo and Kaustav Guttikonda by an 8-3 score, while Robbie Vazquez and Stefan Johnson edged Boris Slesarev and Rafael Zard 8-6.
The Fords carried that momentum into singles. Kilmer cruised past Bryan Hui 6-1, 6-1, and Lavu followed with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Shido Ito. First-year Aarush Kumar earned a 6-1, 6-2 decision against Nikita Makead, while Vazquez rolled over Zard 6-3, 6-0. Teo Bortan defeated Jeh-Lei Fan 6-2, 6-2, and Alejandro Rodriguez dropped only a single game in a 6-1, 6-0 rout of Andy Chen for his first collegiate triumph.
Lucio Kombo delivered his first collegiate victory in dramatic fashion, outlasting Slesarev in a match tiebreak, 6-3, 4-6, 10-7. Johnson closed out the sweep with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Rahul Sundaresan.
Haverford vs. Vassar
The clash with Vassar brought the Invitational's longest match, with multiple tiebreaks and retirements shaping play. The Fords again excelled in singles after winning just one doubles point as Kilmer and Vazquez defeated Eugene Lee and Jonas Santos 8-6.
Haverford turned in another strong showing in singles play, taking eight of 10 singles matches against the visiting Brewers.
Owen Kilmer set the tone with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Eugene Lee, and Niki Lavu followed with a 6-2, 6-3 victory against Fernando Bauermeister. Robbie Vazquez battled through three sets before his opponent retired, leading 7-5, 4-6 when the match was halted. Teo Bortan also contributed in straight sets, downing Jonas Santos 6-2, 6-4.
Alejandro Rodriguez and Stefan Johnson each rolled to 6-2, 6-2 wins, with Rodriguez defeating Alfonso Infante and Johnson topping Avery Frekhtman. Arnav Nemali delivered in a match tiebreak, rallying past Ian Karoly 3-6, 6-2, 10-5 for his first career triumph, while Maxfield Ma closed out the day with a 6-0, 4-6, 10-3 victory over Ryan Truta.
Jason Jia and Maximus Martin earned Vassar's two points, edging Chait Krishna and Zach Miano in tight straight-set battles.
Haverford vs. Stevens
Closing out play against perennial rival Stevens, Haverford controlled doubles from start to finish, sweeping all four courts. Owen Kilmer and Stefan Johnson set the tone with an 8-6 win over Max-William Kanz and Renat Kramin, while Teo Bortan and Robbie Vazquez followed with an 8-5 decision against Samvid Andhare and Dhaivik Chenemilla.
Niki Lavu and Zach Miano added an 8-3 victory over Tristan Wroe and Ian Batra, and Alejandro Rodriguez paired with Maxfield Ma to secure another 8-3 result against Elias Alkio and Johnny Haase.
Moving into singles, Lavu rallied from a lopsided opening set to outlast Ian Batra 0-6, 7-6(4), 10-8, completing the comeback in a decisive match tiebreak. Chait Krishna delivered a convincing 6-2, 6-1 win over Renat Kramin, while Miano also fought through a third-set tiebreak, defeating Dhaivik Chenemilla 4-6, 6-2, 10-5.
Lucio Kombo and Caden Hsia each added straight-set victories, with Kombo earning a 6-2, 7-5 decision over Elias Alkio and Hsia topping Johnny Haase by the same score for his first collegiate win. Stevens collected one point as Tristan Wroe downed Stefan Johnson 6-2, 6-0.
Up Next
Haverford will send select competitors to the ITA Southeast Regional Championships, beginning Oct. 3 at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va., while the rest of the squad competes at the Saint Joseph's Invite in Philadelphia.
