The Cornell men’s tennis team finished its fall season this past weekend with important matches at two national tournaments.

The team competed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and San Diego, California, giving players a chance to test themselves against top competitors from around the country.

The fall season started back in September with early matches at Yale and Penn. These tournaments helped younger players learn what college tennis feels like.

The experienced players also used these matches to get back into form after the summer break. Things got exciting at the ITA New England Regionals.

Junior Felipe Pinzon and senior Petar Teodorovic won the doubles championship there. This victory earned Cornell a spot at the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row.

The good news kept coming at the Ivy League Championships. Sophomore Rushil Khosla and freshman Rethin Pranav Senthil Kumar took home the Ivy doubles title.

The two players have been friends since growing up together in India. Their championship win sent them to San Diego for another chance to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

This past weekend brought the fall campaign to a close. Sophomore Rodrigo Fernandes competed at the ITA East Sectional Championship in Chapel Hill.

He won some matches and lost others before falling to a strong player from the University of South Carolina.

Head coach Silviu Tanasoiu said Fernandes needs to focus on developing his playing style and figuring out what kind of player he wants to become.

Fernandes ended the fall with a 10-3 singles record. This gave him the best singles record on the team.

He built a solid base to work from when the spring dual meet season starts in January. Pinzon also played in Chapel Hill and had one of the most exciting matches of the weekend.

He beat a player ranked 91st in the nation from Wake Forest University, the reigning NCAA champion program. His next match against a Harvard player came down to the wire.

Pinzon lost in back-to-back tiebreaks after fighting hard in both sets. The close loss showed how much progress Pinzon made during the fall.

He now turns his attention to preparing for the NCAA Tournament with partner Teodorovic. The pair will represent Cornell at the championships next week.

Across the country in San Diego, Khosla and Kumar competed at the ITA Conference Masters. They needed to do well here to earn a spot in the NCAA doubles draw.

The duo dominated their first match and looked ready for a deep run. Their second match tested them against the top-seeded team from Pepperdine University.

Khosla and Kumar played an amazing match and nearly pulled off a huge upset. They forced a third-set tiebreak but fell just short of victory.

Coach Tanasoiu said the match taught his players important lessons. He pointed out that they played too carefully when they needed to be more aggressive.

“We just didn’t play intentional enough, didn’t play aggressive enough,” Tanasoiu explained. “To close out that match, we were playing way too passive, and I think Pepperdine took advantage of it.”

The loss hurt because Khosla and Kumar came so close to winning. But the experience will help them grow as players.

They showed they can compete with anyone in the country when they play their best tennis. The team now shifts focus to what comes next.

Cornell will host a Pro Tennis Tour event this week at home. This tournament brings in an even tougher field of players than earlier fall events.

The Red players will face many difficult matches that will prepare them for the spring season. Tanasoiu feels excited about the challenges ahead.

He said his team wants these tough matches because they make everyone better. “Now, just getting ready for a PTT this upcoming week at home, a super tough field much tougher than the first week we had,” Tanasoiu said.

“There are so many tough matches ahead for our guys, which is exactly what we’re looking for. And then at the same time the preparation for the NCAA for Petar and Felipe.”

Pinzon and Teodorovic will spend this week getting ready for the NCAA Championships. The tournament takes place November 18-23 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida.

They earned their spot through consistent strong play all fall. The spring dual meet season starts in January.

The team will use everything learned this fall to compete for an Ivy League title. Cornell finished with several players showing major improvement and two pairs headed to national championships.

The fall season accomplished its main goals of player development and NCAA qualification.