“This weekend, the team really came together to deliver a high-energy performance,” Orly Ogilvy ’27 told the News. “The general attitude was that we wanted both matches more than Columbia or Cornell did, and I think that really showed in our willingness to stay out on the court and fight for every point. There was a ton of communication between courts, and we all got each other fired up.” 

Up first on Saturday for the women’s team was Cornell, whom they hosted at the Cullman Heyman Tennis Center. The Bulldogs got off to a strong start when Ogilvy and Erin Ha ’27 claimed the first doubles match, 6–2. Shyla Aggarwal ’27 and Mirabelle Brettkelly ’25 secured the doubles point for Yale when they took down Cornell’s Jenny Wong and Victoria Zhao 6–3. 

Yale continued their strong play into singles, winning three out of the four finished matches. Ogilvy completed a comeback to defeat Michelle Ryndin 3–6. 6–3, 6–1 and Aggarwal followed up on that by swiftly dismantling Zhao 6–3, 6–2. Ha dropped her match against Sage Loudon, but Brettkelly ended the Big Red’s hope at a comeback when she trounced Emma Baker 6–0, 6–3. 

Saturday’s success left the women’s team ready to go for their next match against another Ivy League foe on Sunday. 

The following day, the 72nd-ranked Columbia Lions came to New Haven hoping to spoil Yale’s perfect 5–0 home record. The Lions came out strong, snagging the first two doubles matches and putting the first point up on the board. However, the Bulldogs bounced back even stronger, winning four singles matches. Ogilvy defeated El Allami, and Julia Werdiger ’28 fought hard to beat Sophia Wang 7–5, 7–5. Yale closed out Columbia when Angela Huang ’28 beat Emily Baek 6–2, 6–3 and Brettkelly battled to take down Winta Tewolde 4–6, 6–4, 6–3. 

The Yale women’s tennis team moved to 6–0 as a result of their perfect weekend at home, securing a 4–1 score versus Cornell and a 4–2 score versus Columbia. They play next when Dartmouth comes to town on Friday, April 11. 

On the men’s side, the Bulldogs kicked off their weekend by taking a trip up to Ithaca to face the 40th-ranked Big Red. Not much went well for Yale as they started by dropping all three of their doubles matches. Cornell fed off the momentum gained by these wins to quickly close out the Bulldogs in singles, winning every singles match. 

On Sunday, Yale traveled into the city to take on the 8th-ranked Columbia Lions. Again, the Bulldogs got off to a slow start, dropping all three doubles matches. The Lions didn’t look back, winning the remainder of the singles matches and beating the Bulldogs 4–0. 

Notably, Yale’s first-seeded player Vignesh Gogineni ’26, who qualified earlier this year for the NCAA individual championship, was out for the weekend with a wrist injury. It is unclear whether he will return for the rest of the season. 

Despite the setbacks, the men’s tennis team looks to secure a win when they travel to Dartmouth on Friday, April 11. On Sunday, April 13, the Bulldogs will return home to host their Harvard Crimson rivals.

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“I think we’re playing much better now that our goals are more clear and everyone is in full swing,” Gogineni told the News. “The guys have been putting in a lot of effort in practice, and the energy and intensity have been very high recently.” 

The men’s team kicked off the weekend on Friday by dominating the William & Mary team. In doubles, the 82nd-ranked duo of Gogineni and Edward Liao ’28 got things rolling with an easy 6–1 victory. Jason Shuler ’27 and Jim Ji ’27 secured the doubles point for the Bulldogs by taking down their opponents 6–3. 

On the singles side of the team match, Gogineni kicked things off by breezing past Oliver Hague 6–2, 6–0. Shuler obliterated Sean Joseph 6–1, 6–1 and Liao swiftly finished off their opponents by defeating Albert Hansen 6–3, 6–1. 

Yale was back in action on Sunday, taking on the Liberty Flames. In doubles, Gogineni and Liao again teamed up on their way to victory, beating Joaquim Almeida and Trey Stinchcomb 6–4. Ji and Eric Li ’26 lost their match, but Shuler and Krish Gupta ’28 came up clutch in a close one against Siwanat Auytayakul and Carl Roothman 7–5 to take the doubles point. 

In singles, the Bulldogs were able to take four of six matches. As any fan of Yale tennis could have guessed, Gogineni made quick work of Liberty’s No. 1, beating Almeida 6–4, 7–6. Shuler picked up his fourth win of the weekend when he took down Auytayakul 7–5, 7–5. Ji and Li both fell to their opponents, but Liao and Gupta closed out the matches by winning their matches 6–2, 6–3, and 7–6, 6–4, respectively. The Bulldogs beat the Flames 5–2 to improve their perfect home record to 4–0 and 7–3 overall. 

“This year, the team has really emphasized our commitment to being unbearably tough. Whether that be in practice or during dual matches, we are always striving to challenge our limits and make it difficult for our opponents,” 83rd-ranked doubles player Dylan Tsoi told the News. “By building this team culture, the guys have developed great chemistry on and off the court and I believe it is one of the key contributors to our success so far this season.” 

The Bulldogs are in action next weekend, taking on Cornell and the University of Memphis. 

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On the first day of play, Yale was narrowly beat out by the No. 4 seed Quakers of Penn. 

After being swept in doubles, the Bulldogs battled hard to mount a comeback but ended up falling just short. Vignesh Gogineni ’26 started the scoring off by taking down Manfredi Graziani 7–5, 6–2. Penn then took the next three points against Jim Ji ’27, Jason Shuler ’27 and Eric Li ’26. Edward Liao ’28 was able to snag another point by defeating Justin Chung 6–4, 6–3, and Krish Gupta ’28 also won his match against Matthew Rutter 6–3, 6–4. 

However, Yale had dug themselves too deep of a hole early in the match and these late matches only lessened Penn’s margin of victory as they were still able to hold on to win the team match 4–3. 

On Saturday, after falling into the consolation portion of the bracket, the ’Dogs were still able to motivate themselves to bounce back in a strong manner. 

This time around, Yale brought out the brooms in the doubles matches, easily sweeping No. 8 seed Brown. Gogineni and Liao took the first match 6–4, and Ji and Shuler claimed the doubles point for the team when they breezed past their opponents 6–1. Gupta and Aidan Reilly ’25 did not finish their doubles match.

In singles, Gogineni kept up his stellar play by putting the first point on the board when he beat Alex Finkelstein 6–2, 6–4. Shuler defeated Oliver Worth 7–5, 6–2, and Gupta won his match over James Lian 6–2, 7–5. Li, Liao, and Reilly all had their matches ended early after the Bulldogs went up 4–0, clinching the victory.

On the final day of the tournament, Yale took on Dartmouth in the 5th-place match. Again, the Bulldogs swept in doubles, with the duos of Gogineni and Liao and Ji and Li easily handling their opponents by scores of 6–1 and 6–3, respectively. Reilly and Walker Oberg ’25 had their match called early due to the doubles point being claimed already.

In singles, Gogineni won his fifth match of the weekend by beating Guerrero Alvarez 6–3, 7–5. Ji and Shuler both fell, but then Li helped lead the bounce back by taking his match 6–2, 6–4. Reilly lost his match to even the score between the Bulldogs and the Big Green. Liao came up clutch and rolled over his opponent 6–0, 6–2 to not only win his match but also claim the team victory for Yale.

Yale finished in fifth place overall for the weekend, winning their last two matches after losing their opening match. Harvard took home the team title after defeating Princeton 4–2 in the championship.

The post TENNIS: Bulldogs take fifth at the ECAC championship appeared first on Yale Daily News.

The Bulldogs entered the tournament as underdogs, the fifth seed out of eight, with three strong Ivy teams blocking their path to the championship. They matched up with fourth-seeded Penn, top-ranked Princeton and third-seeded Columbia, all of which the Bulldogs conquered on their way to winning the championship on Sunday. 

“As a senior, this win is incredibly special,” Mirabelle Brettkelly ’25 told the News. “It’s the first time in 13 years that Yale women’s tennis has claimed the tournament title, and it feels like a moment that’s been four years in the making.”

On the opening day of the tournament, Yale took on Penn to kick things off. After a slow start in doubles, which saw the Bulldogs get swept, the team came up clutch when they needed to the most. 

Orly Ogilvy ’27 got the first point on the board when she defeated Sabine Rutlauka 7–5, 6–4. Julia Werdiger ’28 followed her up by quickly dismantling Gavriella Smith 6–1, 6–3. Erin Ha ’27 kept up the momentum by beating Sasha Motlagh 6–3, 6–3, and Angela Huang ’28 slammed the door on Penn’s title dreams with a tremendous comeback against Maya Urata, eventually winning 4–6, 6–4, 6–1. 

Winning four of the six singles matches, Yale was able to sneak past the Quakers 4–3 to move on to the second round of the tournament. 

“The emotions of watching the clinching matches each day of ECACs and running onto the court in celebration will be ones that I will never forget,” Werdiger, who went 3–0 in singles this past weekend, told the News. “The whole team has worked so hard for this championship, and we will always remember this victorious feeling. We are more motivated than ever for the Ivy season, and I cannot wait to see what else this team can accomplish.”

In the second round on Saturday, the Bulldogs built on their success from the previous day to face top-seeded Princeton. The Tigers, who were favored to win heading into the tournament, saw their luck run out early as they faced off against the Bulldogs. 

In doubles, Yale dominated, winning all three matches. Ogilvy and Ha won 6–3, Brettkelly and Shyla Aggarwal ’27 won 6–3, and Werdiger and Huang were up 5–3 but ultimately did not need to finish their match given Yale’s strong lead. 

In singles, the Bulldogs continued their dominant play, proceeding to win every match. Werdiger battled hard to defeat Eva Elbaz 6–3, 2–6, 6–1. Ha kept up her strong play and pummeled Anna Nguyen 6–2, 6–0. Huang clinched the match for Yale when she took down Pearlie Zhang 6–3, 6–1. Ogilvy, Brettkelly, and Aggarwal all had their matches ended early after Yale claimed a 4–0 victory over Princeton. This gave them time to rest and recover before the tournament’s final day. 

After two victories in as many days, the Bulldogs came into the third and final day of the event hungry for a win. Not only was Yale matched up with an Ivy foe in the championship round, but they were facing a Columbia team that had not beaten on the championship court since 2019. 

In doubles, the Bulldogs found themselves falling into a hole early. Brettkelly and Aggarwal fell to Sophia Strugnell and Gayathri Krishnan 6–2, and Werdiger and Huang lost to Emily Baek and Amber Yin 6–3. 

To come back and win the championship, Yale needed a strong singles showing. 

The first point of the day was put on the board by Ogilvy, who was able to overpower Columbia’s No. 1 El Allami 6–3, 6–4. Werdiger, building on her already excellent record for the weekend, trounced Amber Yin 6–3, 6–2. Ha overwhelmed Winta Tewolde 6–2, 6–3, and the Bulldogs were now in the lead with their third point on the board. Yale needed just one more victory to win. Huang was able to deliver, crushing Columbia’s Baek 6–1, 6–4. 

Beating the Lions 4–2, the Bulldogs were named 2025 Eastern College Athletic Conference Indoor Champions. To make the victory even sweeter, Yale earned their first win in six years against Columbia after narrowly losing to them in the finals last year, adding to their list of accomplishments from the weekend. 

“I’ve believed in this team’s potential to achieve something like this since the day I stepped on campus, and now that it’s becoming a reality, I’m excited for what’s ahead,” Brettkelly said. “We’re just getting started, and we’re ready to show everyone what Yale women’s tennis is truly made of.”

This is the first time the Bulldogs have won the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship in 13 years, since 2012.

The post TENNIS: Bulldogs win ECAC Championship appeared first on Yale Daily News.

From Oct. 10 through Oct. 13, the Bulldogs competed in Cambridge, Mass., at Harvard’s ITA New England Regionals. There, they had a pair of quarter final appearances, one in singles and one in doubles. The following weekend, Yale traveled to Providence, R.I., for the Brown Invitational. The teams competing included Rutgers, Brown, UMass and Rhode Island. 

Yale had three Bulldogs in action on the first day of qualifying matches at the ITA New England Regionals. Julia Werdiger ’28 led the way and picked up two victories to secure a spot in the main draw. 

She handily defeated Elise Wong of Dartmouth 7–5, 6–2 before beating Boston College’s Nadia Barteck 6–4, 6–4. Jamie Kim ’25 and Sophia Zaslow ’26 also competed in singles but fell to their opponents from Harvard and Dartmouth, respectively. 

Day two of the tournament saw more Bulldog triumphs. Shyla Aggarwal ’27 started the day on a strong note, defeating Boston University’s Ellie Gyuro 6–0, 3–6, 6–2. Erin Ha ’27 picked up a victory in straight sets against Providence’s Camila Barrera Aguirre, winning 6–2, 6–2. Werdiger kept cruising, defeating Niagara’s Maria Melo 6–3, 6–0. Ann Wright Guerry ’26 steamrolled Aina Garriga Martinez of Sacred Heart 6–0, 6–1 and Mirabelle Brettkelly ’25 rounded out the day by obliterating Andrea Vargas of Siena College 6–0, 6–0. 

On the doubles side, three duos from Yale advanced to the next round. Rebecca Lynn ’26 and Kim defeated their opponents from Sacred Heart. Werdiger and Ha came up on top over their opponents from Quinnipiac and Aggarwal, and Angela Huang ’28 easily handled their opponents from Army. 

In the Round of 32, Yale claimed another handful of victories in singles and doubles. Brettkelly continued her strong play with a victory over Seren Agar of Boston College, winning 6–3, 6–0. Aggarwal defeated Dartmouth’s Peyton Capuano 6–4, 7–5. Julia Werdiger won her fourth singles match of the week, beating Boston University’s Uma Bakaiyte 6–3, 3–6, 6–4. Ann Wright Guerry rounded out the singles play by moving past Quinnipiac’s Willow Renton 7–5, 6–4.

Werdiger and Ha were the sole Yale team to move on in doubles as they defeated Isabella Venter and Tamara Bachmann of St. Bonaventure. 

In the Round of 16 on the singles side, Brettkelly was the only Bulldog to come out on top over her opponent. She quickly beat Maxi Duncan after returning from behind in the first set to win 7–5. She won her second set 6–1 to move on to the quarterfinals. 

On day four, Yale had one competitor in the final eight singles and a duo remaining in the Round of 16 for doubles. Brettkelly fell to Serafima Shastova of Syracuse 7–6, 6–0, and Werdiger and Ha narrowly fell to Cornell 8–6. Nevertheless, it was a successful showing for the Women’s team. 

The Yale Women’s Tennis team competed in the Brown Invitational the following weekend. Dominance was the name of the game on the first day, as the Bulldogs went six-for-six against Rhode Island. Aggarwal defeated Sophie Herman 6–2, 6–1, Ha beat Katharina Speith 6–4, 6–2, Huang cruised past Stephanie Hylton 6–1, 6–1 and Sophia Zaslow won 6–2, 6–2 over Ava Grnja. 

In doubles, Aggarwal and Ha defeated Spieth and Fernando of Rhode Island of 6–3, and Huang and Zaslow came out on top over Herrman and Nielander 7–5. cq

On the second day of the invite, Ha was the lone victor in singles. She defeated Mai Nguyen of Rutgers 6–4, 6–2. Aggarwal, Huang, and Zaslow all fell to their opponents from Brown. 

In doubles, Ha continued her dominant weekend, finishing with a perfect 4-0 record as she teamed up with Aggarwal to defeat their opponents from Rutgers 7–6.

“Personally starting out the fall season with an injury was really discouraging but the past weekend helped me gain some confidence,” Ha wrote to the News. “Overall, it was definitely a mental and physical challenge for the team with sickness spreading on top of injuries, but I was really proud of the way everyone showed up and played throughout the weekend.”

The Bulldogs were slated to take on UMass on the third day of the Brown Invitational, but UMass withdrew from the invite, and Yale’s weekend finished early. 

The Yale Women’s Tennis team is back in action on Oct. 25 when they travel to Philadelphia to play in the Ivy League ITA Masters Qualifying hosted by UPenn. 

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On the first day of the tournament, the Bulldogs went three for three on the singles side. In her draw, Julia Werdiger ’28 won her quarterfinal match against Mia Palladino of Stony Brook, 6–4, 6–3. Mirabelle Brettkelly ’25 breezed past Camila Barrera Aguirre of Providence, 6–2, 6–4, and Rebecca Lynn ’26 easily won her match against Madison Warren of Stonehill, 6–1, 6–2. 

“This weekend was a wonderful building experience,” Lynn wrote to the News. “I got the opportunity to implement what I’ve been working on in a match setting against strong opponents. Hopefully we can keep this same energy and mindset going as we finish out the fall and head into spring season.” 

On the doubles side, Yale had two duos in action. Brettkelly and Werdiger teamed up to defeat their opponents from Stony Brook 6–2, but Jamie Kim ’25 and Lynn fell to their opponents from Hofstra, 6–4. Kim ended up having to pull out of the tournament due to injury. 

On the second day of the tournament, the Bulldogs continued with their strong play in the semifinal round of singles. Werdiger started the successful day off by beating Nevena Kolarevic of Fordham 6–4, 4–6, 10–5. Brettkelly won her first of two matches for the day, defeating Army’s Jenna Sabile 6–3, 7–6, 7–3. Lynn also advanced to the finals of her draw after blowing past Army’s Julia Kelly 6–4, 6–3. 

In the double portion’s semifinals, Brettkelly and Werdiger picked up their second wins of the day. The duo beat Lorraine Bergman and Catalina Padilla of Fordham 7–6 (7–4) to earn their spot in the finals match. 

On the third and final day of the Fordham Invitational, Yale claimed two singles championships and all three players made the finals of their bracket. Lynn started the day off for the Bulldogs, winning her finals match by defeating Charlotta Buss of St. John’s 6–3, 7–5. 

Brettkelly also came up victorious in her finals matchup, dominating Paola Ueno Dalmonico of Farleigh Dickinson 6–3, 6–1. 

In the doubles finals, Werdiger and Brettkelly fell short against their opponents from Army, 6–4, but the weekend was still an incredibly strong showing for the Bulldogs. 

“This weekend was a great prep weekend as we head into regionals next week,” Brettkelly wrote to the News. “Competing in a singles draw format but staying united in cheering as a team and supporting each other across the courts was a great prelude for how we hope to approach next week.” 

Next week, the Bulldogs will be back in action at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association New England Regionals in Cambridge, Mass., on Oct. 11.

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The men’s team traveled to Harvard where they competed against the University of Illinois, Notre Dame, Boise State, Cornell and Harvard. 

On the first day of the invitational, the men’s team took on both the Fighting Illini and Irish. In doubles, Jason Shuler ’28 partnered up with Vignesh Gogineni ’26 to defeat Tyler Bowers and Zachary Viiala from Illinois 6–3. Walker Oberg ’25 and Eric Li ’25 also teamed up to take down Jayanth Devaiah and Luis Llorens from Notre Dame 7–6 (6). The Elis dropped the other two doubles matches, one each to Illinois and Notre Dame.

In singles, the trio of newcomers, Edward Liao ’28 (6–2, 6–2), Krish Gupta ’28 (6–2, 7–5) and Jason Shuler ’28 (6–1, 6–0), all found themselves victorious against their opponents from Notre Dame. Eric Li was the only other Bulldog to post a singles victory on Friday, defeating Jeremy Zhang of Illinois 6–3, 6–2. Gogineni, Dylan Tsoi ’27, Jim Ji ’27 and Oberg came up short in their singles matches.

“The first match I was super nervous as the college atmosphere felt so much different than the juniors,” Liao told the News about his first collegiate tennis match. “However, after that first match, I felt less nervous than I expected. I think the guys on the team really helped calm my nerves as they always reminded me to have fun on court, which helped me play better.”

On the second day, Yale faced Cornell and Boise State. The doubles pairing of Liao and Ji conquered Rodrigo Fernandes and Petar Teodorovic of Cornell, 7–6 (5). The duos of Tsoi and Gupta, Oberg and Li, and Gogineni and Shuler all came short against their opponents from Cornell and Boise State.

Again, in singles, the Yale first-years were successful as Liao defeated John Chin from Boise State 6–1, 3–6, 10–4, and Gupta beat Idriss Haddouch from Boise State 6–4, 7–6 (6). Gogineni, the ITA-51st-ranked singles player, defeated Fernandes from Cornell 6–4, 7–6 (3). Li, Tsoi, Ji, and Oberg lost their matches.

On the final day, the Yale men’s squad took on their archrival, the 12th-ranked Harvard Crimson. The Bulldogs dominated the day, winning three of the four doubles matches. Gogineni and Shuler paired up to take down Peter Privara and Masa Perera 6–3, Tsoi and Gupta defeated Melchior Delloye and Mitchell Lee 7–5 and Liao and Ji beat Valdemar Pape and Elisha Thornton 7–5. Li and Oberg fell 6–3 to Marc Ktiri and James Macdonald.

In the singles portion, Yale continued with their thumping of the Crimson. Gogineni walloped Privara 6–2, 6–1, and yet again, first-years Liao and Gupta continued their undefeated streak, winning 6–1, 6–2, and 6–4, 6–4, respectively. Oberg rounded out the scoring, defeating Macdonald 7–6 (5), 6–7 (3), 10–1. 

After his undefeated weekend beginning his college career, Gupta said, “I think the main takeaway is just how different college tennis is than juniors. Now I am not just playing for myself but rather for the team. Everyone is much better in college. Matches are more mentally and physically challenging, but I have proven to myself this past weekend that I belong in the college setting.”

The men’s team hosts the Yale Invitational next weekend at the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center from Sept. 27 through Sept. 29. 

The women’s team kicked off their fall season by hosting the Bulldog Invitational, welcoming Rutgers, Boston University and Brown University to New Haven.

On the opening day, Yale took on Rutgers. In singles, Shyla Aggarwal ’27 was victorious, winning 6–4, 6–0. Ann Wright Guerry ’26 won her match 6–1, 7–5, and was followed up by Erin Ha ’27 defeating her opponent 6–3, 6–2. First-year Angela Huang ’28 rounded out the team’s scoring for the day, coming up with a 7–6, 6–3 victory.

The doubles matches for the women’s team, however, were less successful. The pairing of Aggarwal and Jamie Kim ’25 was the sole victor in doubles, winning their match 6–3. The other two Yale pairings were defeated 2–6 and 3–6.

During the second day, the Bulldogs bounced back to take on Boston University despite the windy conditions. Ha and Aggarwal kicked off the day defeating their opponents in doubles 7–5. Rebecca Lynn ’26 and Sophia Zaslow ’26 were also victorious, winning their match 6–3.

Things looked strong on the singles side. Ha defeated her Boston University opponent handily, winning 6–3, 6–2. Huang followed that up by beating her opponent 6–2, 6–4. Lynn crushed her opponent 6–1, 6–0, and Zaslow closed out the scoring, winning her match 6–4, 6–4.

On the final day of the Bulldog Invitational, Yale took on Ivy League rival Brown, winning nine of their ten matches. They kicked off the day by sweeping every doubles match. Guerry and Mirabelle Brettkelly ’25 dominated their opponents, winning 6–3. The duo of Ha and Julia Werdiger ’28 made quick work of their match, winning 6–0. Huang and Aggarwal closed out the doubles portion, defeating their opponents 6–2.

Riding the wave of a strong doubles showing, Aggarwal kicked off the scoring in singles, winning 6–3, 6–1. Brettkelly won her first set 6–0, then completed a great comeback in the second set to win 7–5, winning her match. Werdiger followed that up, easily winning her match 6–1, 6–3. 

In the fourth match, Ha retired due to injury after winning her first set 7–5, resulting in the only win of the day for Brown. Guerry continued her strong start to the season by winning 6–4, 6–4. Lynn lost her first set, then won the next two to claim victory, 3–6, 7–6, 10–8. Huang closed out the last match of the day, winning 7–6, 6–2. 

After a difficult first two days, Yale was able to end the Bulldog Invitational on a very strong note.

“We used the last two days as building blocks from understanding the conditions to defining our strengths and weaknesses right now both on the court and as a team.” Brettkelly told the News. 

The women’s squad has a week off before traveling to New York on Oct. 4 for the Fordham Invitational.

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On the men’s side, the Bulldogs boast eight returners, while also welcoming three new members to the squad. 

The newcomers consist of transfer Jason Shuler ’28 out of Scarsdale, N.Y., Edward Liao ’28 hailing from Commack, N.Y., and Krish Gupta ’28 of Fremont, Calif. 

The Bulldogs welcome back two sophomores from California, Dylan Tsoi ’27 and Jim Ji ’27. Entering their junior year, Eric Li ’26 of Skillman, N.J., and Vignesh Gogineni ’26 of Mason, Ohio, make up the junior class. 

The four seniors on the team are Luke Neal ’25 from Larkspur, Calif., Walker Oberg ’25 of Weston, Mass., Renaud Lefevre ’25 of Los Angeles and team captain Aidan Reilly ’25 out of Stamford, Conn. 

The Bulldogs enter this season led by the ITA 50th-ranked singles player Gogineni and the 51st-ranked doubles team of Gogineni and Reilly. 

“I’m really excited for the upcoming season. We have lots of exciting talent in our incoming recruits along with returning players improving their games,” Gogineni told the News. Gogineni told the News that the team’s dynamic is “strong” and their work ethic is pushing them towards their main goal: to make the NCAA tournament, which they haven’t done for at least 30 years. 

“I had a solid sophomore campaign, but I know I’m capable of more,” Gogineni said. “My personal goals are to make the NCAA individual tournament at the end of the fall. We have a very unique group that I believe is capable of achieving something special this year.” 

In addition, the Bulldogs will have a new man at the helm in the interim. 

Head Coach Chris Drake recently announced that he would be stepping away from the program to focus on his health after a bout with long COVID-19. Interim Head Coach Eduardo Ugalde will take over in the meantime until Drake returns to his role. Ugalde, a graduate of North Carolina Wesleyan College, led his team to four NCAA Team National appearances. He has previously been on the coaching staff at Alabama and Duke before joining the Bulldogs in 2021. 

Drake emphasized his confidence in Ugalde, saying in an email to “Friends of Yale Tennis” that he has “complete confidence in Coach Ugalde to lead the program in my absence and in the players to continue pursuing the goals they have set for themselves and the team.” 

It is currently unknown what the timeline is for Drake’s return to coaching. 

The men’s tennis team looks to get off to a strong start to the season when they travel to the Brown Invitational taking place on Sept. 14 and Sept. 15. They then travel to Cambridge for Harvard’s annual Chowderfest tournament on Sept. 20. 

On the other side, the women’s tennis team welcomes two new first years as a part of their 18th-ranked recruiting class in the nation: Julia Werdiger ’28 from New York and Angela Huang ’28 from Wexford, Pa. 

The trio of sophomores consists of Orly Ogilvy ’27 from Mississauga, Ontario, Erin Ha ’27 from Tenafly, N.J. and Shyla Aggarwal ’27 out of Cincinnati, Ohio. The junior class makes up the second trio on the team, with Sophia Zaslow ’26 of Holmdel, N.J., Ann Wright Guerry ’26 from Atlanta, Ga. and Rebecca Lynn ’26 hailing from Newport Beach, Calif. 

Their team is rounded out by two seniors, Mirabelle Brettkelly ’25 from San Francisco, Calif., and team captain Jamie Kim ’25 from Mason, Ohio.

“I’m really excited about this year, especially because of our unique team situation. Last year, we had no seniors so we’ve essentially got the same team back, plus two new first-years,” Kim told the News. “We had strong results last year, which makes it exciting for the returning players to come back and build on that success and for the first years to step into this environment.” 

In regards to her team’s goals for the season, Kim also said, “Our big goal is to win Ivies in the spring, but right now, we are focused on the matches we have for our fall season and continuing to develop as a team as we prepare for the spring.” 

The ITA 55th-ranked women’s squad kicks off their season next weekend at home against Rutgers on Sept. 20, Boston University on Sept. 21 and Brown on Sept. 22.

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The 68th-ranked Yale men’s tennis team (11–9, 2–2 Ivy) hosted eighth-ranked Columbia (18–3, 4–1) on Saturday and 33rd-ranked Cornell (16–6, 3–2) on Sunday in the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center. Meanwhile, the 49th-ranked Yale women’s tennis team (15-7, 3–2) took a trip to New York, where they took on the 48th-ranked Lions (15–5, 3–2) in Manhattan on Saturday and the Big Red (7–13, 0–5) in Ithaca on Sunday.

The women’s team was defeated by Columbia in a closely contested matchup, falling 3–4. They bounced back on Sunday with a massive win over Cornell, winning 4–1.

The women’s team traveled to Columbia on Saturday to take on the Lions, who were just one spot higher in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings. They fell into a hole after being swept in the doubles matches but fought hard to come back, racking up three singles victories. In the end, the Bulldogs were unable to complete the comeback, falling to the Lions 3–4. Orly Ogilvy ’27, Rebecca Lynn ’26, and Ann Wright Guerry ’26 led the way as singles winners. Ogilvy defeated Columbia’s Keita 4–6, 7–5, 2–0 (retired), Lynn beat Columbia’s Tewolde 6–4, 7–5 and Guerry topped Columbia’s Wang 6–3, 6–3. 

On Sunday, the women’s team traveled to Cornell to take on the Big Red in their last matchup of the regular season. They found redemption, winning by a large margin, 4–1. After losing the doubles point, the Bulldogs responded in a big way, going undefeated in singles, with four victories and leading two matches before resulting in a DNF. 

Ogilvy racked up her second victory of the weekend, defeating Cornell’s Lauren Stein in the number one spot (3–6, 6–3, 6–2). Mirabelle Brettkelly ’25 beat Cornell’s Michaelle Ryndin in two sets (7–6, 6–2). Shyla Aggarwal ’27 led Cornell’s Emma Baker (2–6, 6–3, 1–0) before the match was called. Lynn flat-out dominated Cornell’s Jenny Wong in straight sets (6–1, 6–2). Guerry was also leading Cornell’s Victoria Zhao (6–3, 4–6, 1–0) before the match was called. Jamie Kim ’25 closed out the scoring, conquering Cornell’s Alexandra Savu again in straight sets (6–0, 6–3).

Yale women’s tennis wraps up the regular season with an overall record of 16–8 and a conference record of 4-3. The Bulldogs will sit tight until next week, when the 2024 NCAA DI women’s tennis championship selection show airs on NCAA.com on Monday, April 29, at 6 p.m. ET.

The men’s team had a tough weekend at the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center, being defeated by both Columbia and Cornell, losing 1–6 and 3–4, respectively.

Columbia, ranked No. 8 in the nation, proved to be a tough matchup on Saturday. In doubles, Aidan Reilly ’25 and Theo Dean ’24 came out on top over Columbia’s Theo Winegar and Michael Zheng (7-5). Winegar and Zheng were ranked 13 in the nation for doubles, but the dynamic duo of Dean and Reilly was simply too much for them. In singles, Dean was the lone winner, defeating Columbia’s Alex Kotzen 6–2, 7–5. 

On Sunday, the Bulldogs celebrated their Senior Day while hosting Cornell. The lone senior, Dean, led the way for the ’Dogs. Paired with Reilly, the two continued their streak, coming out on top over Cornell’s Adit Sinha and Nathan Mao 6–4. However, Cornell won the doubles point after winning the last two matches.

In singles, Cornell’s Radue Papoe defeated Vignesh Gogineni in the No. 1 spot (6–2, 6–2). Then, Yale rattled off three straight victories over Cornell, with Theo Dean winning 6–7, 6– 3, (1–0), and Eric Li ’26 (6–0, 6–3) and Jim Ji ’27 (7–6, 6–4) following suit. Unfortunately, Reilly (6–3, 6–3) and Luke Neal ’25 (7–6, 6–3) were unable to close out their matches, resulting in a 3–4 defeat for the team. This loss dropped the Bulldog’s overall record to .500 on the year (11–11) and 2–4 in the conference.

While Yale men’s tennis could not complete the comeback on Sunday, their loss could not overshadow the team’s Senior Day celebration. Theo Dean played his last match at home this Sunday and came out on top in both.

Dean, hailing from Livermore, Cali., came into Yale ranked No. 41 in the nation in the 18-and-under division by the United States Tennis Association. After his first season was canceled due to the pandemic, Dean burst onto the Ivy League tennis scene, racking up numerous accolades. He was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year, First Team All-Ivy in singles and Second Team All-Ivy in doubles alongside Aidan Reilly. In his second season, Dean was named Team Captain, First Team All-Ivy in singles, and qualified for the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Super Regionals in the fall. This season, he was named Team Captain for the second time and will likely accumulate many more honors and recognition for his outstanding play throughout the 2023-24 season.

Dean plans to use his extra season of eligibility granted to him by the NCAA due to the pandemic to pursue his master’s degree at Cal Berkeley while continuing to play tennis.

When asked about Dean’s impact on the team, Neal said, “Theo is an amazing teammate on and off of the court. He pushes everyone around him to be the best version of themselves, and is always willing to help a teammate in need out. He will continue to thrive and make a massive impact next year at Cal Berkeley, and we will definitely miss having him around.”

Doubles partner of Dean, Aidan Reilly, echoed Neal’s sentiment.

“His skill on the court and his leadership as a two-year captain have been huge for us, but his friendship and being such a role-model are the biggest reasons we’ll miss him next year,” Reilly said. “I’ve had the privilege to be his doubles partner for three years, and I can say with certainty that the success we’ve had is not only for his play, but for constantly challenging me to elevate my game and trust myself.”

Dean and the Elis look to close out the regular season on a positive note when they travel to Brown next Saturday, April 27.

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“I think the biggest takeaway is that this team has the chance to do something special this year,” said head coach Chris Drake. “Yale men’s tennis hasn’t qualified for the NCAA tournament in a long time and we can do it. It’s a challenging goal but definitely achievable.”

This past weekend, Jim Ji ’27, Aidan Reilly ’25 and Eric Li ’26 led the charge, and all three were able to build off of their strong performances at the Penn Invitational last month.

First year Jim Ji came into Yale as a five-star recruit and the 2023 USTA Boys’ 18s National Clay Court Champion, and he has lived up to the billing. Drake said that Ji’s coachability, determination and focus set him apart on the court. The coaching staff has also been impressed by Ji’s commitment and professionalism in his day-to-day approach to the game. 

Ji credits his success thus far to the tremendous amount of time that he and the team have spent honing their skills, whether in the gym, on the track or on the court. He said that Drake and the upperclassmen have also helped him greatly in the transition to college tennis.

“Coach Drake has helped me pick out areas of improvement in my game, and he has also given me a ton of support and guidance during my first weeks here, whether that is for tennis or academics,” Ji told the News. “Likewise, my teammates have also been a great help. They have advised me on how to choose classes and also welcomed me wholeheartedly onto the team. I am very excited to see what the next four years hold.”

Meanwhile, Eric Li ’26 said he is looking to improve off of a solid first-year campaign in which he posted a 7–5 singles record and earned ITA Scholar Athlete Recognition. Li said that one of his major takeaways from last season was finding a way to put in extra work in addition to the required practices. So far, this year’s team has found ways to push past their limits. 

“Everyone is motivated to improve, so this year we are pushing very hard in the fall,” Li said. “We added extra lift and fitness days and it has paid off for us to start the season. As the season ramps up, we want to continue raising the standard of our practices and demand more from each other every single day so that it translates into our competitions.”

Aidan Reilly ’25 was the third Eli to secure a spot in the Super Regional tournament later this month. Reilly has been a consistent force for the Bulldogs in his first two seasons and has started off hot in his junior year. Drake attributed this to Reilly’s improved conditioning and practice standards. 

Overall, Drake said he has high expectations for this year’s team, which he based those off of the raised standard that the players have set for themselves. 

“This is a connected team with shared goals of elevating our program,” Drake told the News. “The guys have set a goal of trying to reach the NCAA tournament in May and they have a clear understanding of what it will take on a day-to-day basis to give us a chance to get there. The guys are holding each other to a higher standard and we need this to continue for the rest of the semester and into next year.”

On the Bulldog’s schedule, the ITA Super Regional will be followed by the Georgia Tech Invitational on Nov. 3.

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