Brody Gilkison, Author at Yale Daily News https://yaledailynews.com/blog/author/brodygilkison/ The Oldest College Daily Tue, 15 Apr 2025 03:51:22 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 TENNIS: Women split matches as men face on-the-road setbacks https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2025/04/14/tennis-women-split-matches-as-men-face-on-the-road-setbacks/ Tue, 15 Apr 2025 03:43:43 +0000 https://yaledailynews.com/?p=198475 Yale women go 1–1, men 0–2 in penultimate weekend of Ivy League play.

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This past weekend, the men’s and women’s tennis teams played two Ivy League foes, Dartmouth and Harvard. 

On Friday, the women celebrated their two seniors, Mirabelle Brettkelly ’25 and Jamie Kim ’25, with a win at home against the Big Green before traveling to Cambridge, where they lost to Harvard. Meanwhile, the men’s team traveled to Hanover on Friday and returned home to host the Crimson on Sunday at the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center, losing both matchups.

In their match against Dartmouth, the women’s team made quick work of the Big Green en route to a senior day victory. 

In doubles, Erin Ha ’27 and Orly Ogilvy ’27 defeated Dartmouth’s Peyton Capuano and Michela Moore 6–3. Shyla Aggarwal ’27 and Kim clinched the doubles point when they took down Sam Grosjean and Brooke Hess 6–1.

On the singles side, Yale built on the momentum with three straight victories to secure the 4–0 team victory. 

Julia Werdiger ’28 defeated Lauren Han 6–1, 6–4, Brettkelly beat Elizabeth Fahrmeier 6–0, 6–4 and Angela Huang ’28 came out on top against Caroline Lemcke 6–3, 6–4. With the win, the Bulldogs also clinched a perfect home record for the year. 

Two days later, the Bulldogs traveled north to take on Harvard. After a strong showing against Dartmouth, Yale could not capitalize on their momentum. In doubles, Werdiger and Huang were the sole victors, and the Crimson took the point.

In singles, Werdiger was again the only Bulldog able to scratch out a victory. She completed a comeback to beat Kate Kim of Harvard, winning 1–6, 6–2, 6–1. All five other Bulldogs in action were unable to win their matches.

The women’s team finishes up the regular season next weekend when they travel first to Princeton on Saturday, April 19, and then to Penn the following day.

On the men’s side, from the start, nothing went the Bulldogs’ way, as the team continues to struggle without top dog Vignesh Gogineni ’26.

The Big Green won the first two doubles matches to claim the point. In singles, Jim Ji ’27 put a point on the board when he beat Carlos Guerrero Alvarez 6–3, 6–1. However, Dartmouth swept the remainder of the matches and beat Yale 4–1.

On Sunday, Yale returned home in hopes of bouncing back against Harvard. In doubles, Edward Liao ’28 and Eric Li ’26 beat Masato Perera and Valdemar Pape 6–4, but the Crimson won the next two matches to secure the point. In singles, Harvard swept every singles matchup to win the team match 4–0.

The men’s squad closes its regular season next weekend when the team will welcome both Princeton and Penn to the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center on April 19 and April 20, respectively.

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TENNIS: Yale Tennis faces off against Cornell and Columbia. Women dominate, men struggle https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2025/04/08/tennis-yale-tennis-faces-off-against-cornell-and-columbia-women-dominate-men-struggle/ Tue, 08 Apr 2025 05:31:17 +0000 https://yaledailynews.com/?p=198148 The Yale women’s tennis team had a perfect weekend at home, while the men’s team struggled on the road.

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This past weekend, both the Yale men’s and women’s tennis teams matched up with the Cornell Big Red and Columbia Lions. While the men’s team came into the weekend as the 50th-ranked team in the nation, the women entered the weekend ranked 69th. By Sunday, the women secured a perfect weekend, while the men struggled to find their rhythm on the road. 

“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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TENNIS: Yale squads split weekend series https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2025/03/04/tennis-yale-squads-split-weekend-series/ Tue, 04 Mar 2025 06:18:07 +0000 https://yaledailynews.com/?p=197195 Yale men’s and women’s tennis both won their first match and dropped their second this past weekend.

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The Yale men’s and women’s tennis teams were both in action this past weekend. The men’s squad traveled to the Bronx on Friday to take on Cornell before returning home to face Memphis on Sunday, while on the women’s side, the Bulldogs took a trip down to the Sunshine State to take on Florida Gulf Coast University and the University of South Alabama. 

On Friday, Feb. 28, the 37th-ranked men’s team took on the 24th-ranked Cornell Big Red in a highly-anticipated Ivy matchup. The Bulldogs got off to a fast start in doubles when the duo of Jason Shuler ’27 and Krish Gupta ’28 made quick work of Cornell’s Nathan Mao and Radu Papoe, winning 6–3. Jim Ji ’27 and Eric Li ’26 clinched the doubles point when they followed that up with a 6–4 victory over Jack McCarthy and Adit Sinha. 

In singles, the Big Red took the first point when Papoe beat Vignesh Gogineni ’26. However, the Bulldogs proceeded to rattle off three straight wins and clinch the 4–1 team victory. Shuler got the scoring started by breezing past McCarthy 7–5, 6–1. Edward Liao ’28 took down Mao 6–3, 7–5 and Gupta slammed the door on Cornell by beating Felipe Pinzon 6–4, 7–6. 

Overall, it was a strong day for the Bulldogs as they not only picked up a Top 25 victory but also got their first win over Cornell since 2013. 

However, on Sunday against Memphis, Yale wasn’t able to capitalize on the momentum gained from beating the Big Red. The Bulldogs got off to a slow start in doubles, with only Gogineni and Liao winning their match 6–4. 

In singles, it was more of the same story, with Yale only winning two of six matches. Gogineni fell again, as did Ji. Shuler was able to put the first point on the board when he beat Harry Rock 6–4, 6–4. Li and Liao both lost their matches, but Gupta was a bright spot for the team when he absolutely crushed Alejandro Vizoso Anseded 6–3, 6–0. 

After falling to Memphis, the Bulldogs are expected to drop in the rankings but still boast a strong 8–4 record as they continue with their spring season. Yale men’s tennis is back in action when they travel to Santa Barbara, CA on March 10. 

Down in sunny Fort Myers, the 32nd-ranked Yale women’s tennis team got to enjoy some good weather as they took on Florida Gulf Coast University on Friday. In doubles, the Bulldogs showed no signs of travel wear-and-tear, getting off to a quick start and winning two of the three matches. Mirabelle Brettkelly ’25 and Shyla Aggarwal ’27 defeated Paloma Goldsmith and Nora Svensson 7–6, and the duo of Julia Werdiger ’28 and Angela Huang ’28 had no trouble getting past Anjali Kotecha and Francisca Vergara, winning 6–3. 

In singles, it was more of the same story with Yale winning five of their six matches. Orly Ogilvy ’27 put a point on the board when she took down Ashley Matz 6–3, 6–2. Aggarwal followed her up by defeating Isabella Colmenares 6–3, 6–3. Brettkelly battled hard but came up just short, losing 7–5, 7–6. 

Werdiger, however, got the bounce-back point, winning in three sets against Vergara 6–4, 4–6, 6–4. Erin Ha ’27 got past Svensson without any issues, winning 6–4, 6–4, and Huang grabbed the last point of the day by winning 6–7, 6–4, 6–0. 

After a day off, the Bulldogs were back in action on Sunday. After seven straight victories for the team, the winning streak finally came to an unexpected end versus unranked South Alabama. 

In doubles, Yale wasn’t able to win any of their matches. In singles, it was equally rough for the team as only two were able to pull out a victory. Werdiger easily defeated Jade Marie 6–2, 6–4, and Huang beat Lara van Der Merwe 6–4, 6–3. 

The Bulldogs have a chance to bounce back next weekend when they travel to the Bronx to play Temple University on March 8.

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TENNIS: Undefeated weekend at home for the Bulldogs https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2025/02/24/tennis-undefeated-weekend-at-home-for-the-bulldogs/ Tue, 25 Feb 2025 04:24:12 +0000 https://yaledailynews.com/?p=196818 The Bulldogs took down William & Mary and Liberty as part of an undefeated weekend at home.

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This past weekend, the Yale men’s tennis team took on William & Mary and Liberty at their home Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center. The Bulldogs came into the weekend on a hot streak after recently being ranked 39th in the nation in the first full ITA Team rankings of the season. In addition to the top-50 team ranking, Yale boasts the 72nd-ranked singles player in the country — Vignesh Gogineni ’26 — and three top-hundred-ranked doubles pairings. 

“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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TENNIS: Bulldogs take fifth at the ECAC championship https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2025/02/17/tennis-bulldogs-take-fifth-at-the-ecac-championship/ Mon, 17 Feb 2025 05:02:26 +0000 https://yaledailynews.com/?p=196546 The men’s tennis team won two of three matches to claim fifth place in the ECAC Indoors Championship.

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The Yale men’s tennis team traveled to Philadelphia this past weekend to take part in the ECAC Indoor Championships hosted by Penn. The tournament consisted of seven Ivy League schools, and Delaware played as the eighth team rather than Columbia. The Bulldogs came into the championship ranked as the fifth seed overall.

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.

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TENNIS: Bulldogs win ECAC Championship https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2025/02/11/tennis-bulldogs-win-ecac-championship/ Tue, 11 Feb 2025 06:49:23 +0000 https://yaledailynews.com/?p=196201 The Yale women’s tennis team took down three straight Ivy League opponents en route to winning the 2025 Eastern College Athletic Conference Indoor Championships this past weekend.

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This weekend, the Yale women’s tennis team traveled to Philadelphia for the 2025 Eastern College Athletic Conference Indoor Championships hosted by the University of Pennsylvania, where they clinched the championship title.  

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.

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TENNIS: Bulldogs go undefeated over the weekend https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2025/02/03/tennis-bulldogs-go-undefeated-over-the-weekend/ Tue, 04 Feb 2025 03:47:23 +0000 https://yaledailynews.com/?p=195879 The Yale men’s and women’s tennis teams went undefeated in all of their matchups this weekend versus Penn State, Boston University and Buffalo.

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The Yale men’s and women’s tennis teams each hosted two opponents this past weekend at the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center. The men’s team took on Penn State and Buffalo on Saturday, while the women’s team hosted Boston University on Saturday and Penn State on Sunday. Both teams ended the weekend with strong, undefeated records. 

To start the weekend, the men’s team made a statement by sweeping Penn State, winning 7–0. In doubles, Vignesh Gogineni ’26 and Edward Liao ’28 teamed up to defeat Charl Morgan and David Lindsay 6–3. Renaud Lefevre ’25 and Krish Gupta ’28 easily took care of business against Sam Bossem and Loren Byers, winning 6–1. Jim Ji ’27 and Jason Shuler ’28 closed out the doubles portion of the match by taking down Reiya Hattori and Marcus Schoeman 6–2. 

In singles, the Bulldogs were again perfect, winning all six matches. Gogineni narrowly got past Byers, winning  3–6, 7–5, 10–8 in a nail-biting final set. Ji defeated Morgan handily, winning 6–4, 6–2. Li battled back to grab a win over Bossem, 3–6, 6–4, 12–10. Shuler got past Schoeman for the second time that day, winning 6–3, 6–4. Liao defeated Hattori 6–3, 6–2, and Gupta rounded out the scoring, winning 6–2, 6–1 over Lindsay. 

Later that day, Yale faced slightly stronger competition as they took on Buffalo. They dropped the doubles point, as only the duo of Gogineni and Liao were able to come out on top, beating Daniils Sanders and Cheng Tang 6–2. 

Yet in singles, the Bulldogs were able to capitalize on a hot streak, racking up four individual wins along with the team victory. Again, leading the way was Gogineni, defeating Theodoris Mitsakos 6–4, 6–4 as part of his 4-0 day. Ji and Li both dropped their matches, but were avenged by Shuler, Liao and Gupta racking up three consecutive victories to win the overall team competition. Shuler beat Michael Malkin 6–4, 6–2, Liao won over Yu-Shiang Huang 6–2, 6–1 and Gupta closed it out by beating Faiz Nasyam 6–4, 6–3. 

The Yale men’s tennis team is back in action on Feb. 14 and 15 in Philadelphia, where they will compete as a team at the ECAC Championships. 

On the women’s side, the Bulldogs started the weekend off by facing the Terriers of Boston University. Yale took two of three matches on the doubles side, winning them the doubles point. Shyla Aggarwal ’27 and Mirabelle Brettkelly ’25 took down Madison Liu and Blanka DeMicheli 7–6 (1), and Julia Werdiger ’28 and Angela Huang ’28 defeated Nina Gulbransen and Emily Zhao 6–3. 

In the singles portion, the Bulldogs also dominated, racking up five victories. Brettkelly dropped the first match against Uma Bakaityte, but Orly Ogilvy ’27 defeated Gabriella Mikaul 3–6, 6–4, 10–5. Werdiger followed that up by easily beating 6-4, 6–1. Erin Ha ’27 also came out on top against Liu, winning 6–4, 6–4. Rebecca Lynn ’26 and Huang closed out the day by winning their matches, 6–1, 6–3 and 6–0, 6–3, respectively. 

The following day, Yale built on their momentum, using their victory over Boston to take down the Nittany Lions of Penn State. In doubles, the Bulldogs were swept, but were able to bounce back with a tremendous singles showing. Ogilvy claimed the first Yale point of the day by winning 6–2, 7–6. Aggarwal followed her up by winning 6–3, 6–4. Werdiger had no trouble getting past her opponent, winning 6–3, 6–3. Ha held on to win 6–3, 7–5, and Huang rounded things out by cruising to a 6–1, 6–2 victory. 

The miraculous singles comeback ultimately won the match for the Bulldogs. 

The Yale women’s tennis team plays next at the ECAC Championships from Feb. 7-9, also in Philadelphia.

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TENNIS: Bulldogs dominate down south https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2024/11/04/tennis-bulldogs-dominate-down-south/ Tue, 05 Nov 2024 03:47:43 +0000 https://yaledailynews.com/?p=193572 Yale Men’s Tennis traveled to Georgia Tech and Cornell last weekend, taking down several ranked opponents along the way

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The Yale men’s tennis team was back in action this weekend up and down the East Coast. The Bulldogs sent part of their squad south to compete in the Georgia Tech Invitational, where they easily handled several ranked SEC and ACC opponents. At the same, the other half of the squad traveled to Ithaca, NY, to play in the Cornell Invitational. 

On day one in Atlanta, the Bulldogs started the weekend hot by rolling over the Tide, going undefeated in three matches against Alabama and collecting a victory against Ole Miss. Vignesh Gogineni ’26 started the scoring, beating Alabama’s Andrii Zimnokh 6–3, 6–2. 

Jim Ji ’27 followed that up by beating the Tide’s Zach Foster 6–4, 6–4. Eric Li ’26 and Ji registered win number three for Yale against Alabama, beating Alabama’s Zimnokh and Foster in doubles, 8–3. Jason Shuler ’28 was responsible for the fourth victory of the day, knocking off Benjamin Martin of Ole Miss 6–3, 6–4. 

The Bulldogs continued their strong play on the second day of the Georgia Tech Invitational. Once again, Gogineni led the way, downing Georgia Tech’s Gianluca Carlini on his home court 6–1, 6–3. Shuler, too, was victorious, proving to be the better Bulldog as he defeated Mississippi State’s Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes 6–3, 7–6. Ji also dominated another Yellow Jacket on his home court, beating Georgia Tech’s Christopher Clement. Gogineni and Shuler picked up the final victory of the day in another battle of the Bulldogs, coming out on top of Mississippi State’s Guimaraes and Marshall Landry 8–5. 

On the tournament’s final day, Gogineni rounded out the weekend, winning his third singles match by beating Isac Stromberg of Ole Miss 6–4, 6–4. Ji also picked up his third victory, winning in straight sets against Georgia State’s Baran Soyler. 

In doubles, Gogineni and Shuler took control early and came out on top against Georgia Tech’s Gabriele Brancatelli and Rohan Sachdev 8–5. Li and Ji also picked up a win, beating Siwanat Auytayakuiwanal and Chase Robinson of Liberty 8-5. 

Overall, it was a very successful weekend down south for Yale as they knocked off two Top 25 ITA-ranked teams: No. 13 Mississippi State and No. 21 Alabama. They also took down the host of the invitational and 35th-ranked Georgia Tech as part of their 12–6 weekend at the Georgia Tech Invitational. 

Things in Ithaca were concurrently going well for the remainder of the Bulldogs. 

On the first day, Yale won three matches against Penn State. Leading the way was Dylan Tsoi ’27, picking up a very impressive victory over Sam Bossem 7–6, 6–3. Luke Neal ’25 also won in straight sets, defeating Denys Forgaci 7–6, 7–6. Aidan Reilly ’25 rounded out the scoring for the day, easily handling Alexander Sterin and winning 6–2, 6–3. 

On day two, the Bulldogs started to get hot, winning five of eight matches against Penn State. For the second day in a row, Tsoi, Neal and Reilly all came out on top. Tsoi collected a hard-fought victory over David Lindsay, winning 6–3, 2–6, 6–3. Neal also won in three sets, beating Nolan Ranger 7–6, 2–6, 6–4. Reilly finished singles by defeating Sam Bossem in straight sets, 6–2, 7–6. 

In doubles play, Neal and Walker Oberg ’25 won their first match of the day, beating Ranger and Forgaci 8–4 before falling to Shrikeshav Murugesan and Alexander Sterin 8–3. Reilly and Tsoi also went 1-1, first beating Ranger and Forgaci 8–6 before dropping to Lindsay and Reiya Hattori 8-4. 

The final day of the Cornell Invitational proved to be much more challenging for Yale, as the Bulldogs could only scrape out one singles victory. Ober was the lone victor, defeating Penn State’s Alexander Sterin 6–4, 6–3. Tsoi, Neal and Reilly all fell to Cornell and Penn State opponents. 

As the team’s fall season comes to a close, three individual Bulldogs will be in action next weekend in hopes of qualifying for the NCAA Individual Championships in Waco, TX. 

Jim Ji will play in the ITA Masters Championship in Rome, GA, following his win at the Ivy League Masters. There, he will need to win to qualify for the NCAAs. 

Krish Gupta ’28 and Eric Li will travel to Chapel Hill, NC, to compete in singles at the ITA Sectional Championships. The two will have to advance to the semifinals to qualify for the NCAAs.

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TENNIS: Yale sweeps Ivy League ITA Masters Qualifying https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2024/10/30/tennis-yale-sweeps-ivy-league-ita-masters-qualifying/ Wed, 30 Oct 2024 04:43:33 +0000 https://yaledailynews.com/?p=193318 Two Bulldogs, Shyla Aggarwal ’27 and Jim Ji ’27, named champions of Ivy League Masters.

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The Yale Women’s and Men’s Tennis teams were both in action at their respective Ivy League ITA Masters Qualifying tournaments this past weekend. The women’s team traveled to Philadelphia where Penn was hosting the Women’s Ivy League Masters, and the men hosted at home at the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center in New Haven. 

On the women’s side, four Bulldogs took the court. On Friday, Julia Werdiger ’28 started the day off by collecting a 6–1, 6–1 victory over Carolyn Brodsky of Columbia to move into the round of 16. Shyla Aggarwal ’27 was also victorious, taking down Cornell’s Victoria Zhao 6–3, 6–2 to advance. Ann Wright Guerry ’26 finished off the day in singles for Yale by cruising to a 6–2, 6–1 victory over Columbia’s Amber Yin. 

The second day of the tournament brought more Bulldog wins. Aggarwal won her first match of the day 6–1, 7–6 over Columbia’s Emily Baek before dispatching Isabella Chhiv of Princeton, 6–4, 6–2 to earn a spot in the semifinals. 

Guerry had a very successful day as well, claiming two victories to also earn her spot in the semifinals. First, she came out on top of Dartmouth’s Sam Grosjean in three sets, winning 6–3, 3–6, 6–2. From there, she rolled right over Princeton’s Eva Elbaz 6-1, 6–3 to advance to Sunday. 

Werdiger won her first match over Penn’s Gavriella Smith 6–7, 6–4, 7–6 to earn her spot in the quarterfinals, but then fell to Princeton’s Alice Feritito 6–4, 6–3 to end her tournament. 

In doubles, Aggarwal and Erin Ha ’27 came off a first-round bye to capture an 8–3 victory over Dartmouth’s Elise Wong and Sam Grosjean to advance to the semifinals the following day. 

On the event’s third day, the ‘Dogs kept dominating in singles. Aggarwal first downed Princeton’s Alice Fertito 6–4, 6–4 to lock up her final spot before Guerry claimed the second spot in the finals by defeating Columbia’s Winta Tewolde, 6–3, 6–2. 

In doubles, Aggarwal and Ha fell to Princeton’s Pearlie Zhang and Isabella Chhiv 6–2, 7–7 (7–3) after a hard-fought match. 

On Monday, the Bulldogs returned home to play the finals match on their home court due to both competitors being from Yale. Aggarwal was victorious over Guerry, winning 6–2, 6–1 to claim the Ivy League ITA Masters Championship and punch her ticket to the ITA Masters Championship. 

“I’m super happy about how the weekend went overall and how I played. It’s really rewarding especially when the season gets tiring, but I’m excited to hopefully finish the season strong in Georgia,” Aggarwal wrote to the News. “I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to play against some top players in the country and represent Yale!” 

Aggarwal will compete at the ITA Master’s Championship in Rome, Georgia, from Nov. 7 through Nov. 10. 

On the men’s side, the Bulldogs had five men competing in the Ivy League Masters this weekend. On the first day of the tournament, Yale went a perfect 4-0 in singles. Edward Liao ’28 started it out by triumphing over Penn’s Sanjeev Chundu 6–4, 6–4. 

Jim Ji ’27 followed that up by steamrolling Penn’s Shaurya Bharadwaj 6–1, 6–2. Jason Shuler ’28 also won in straight sets, defeating Brown’s Lukas Phimvongsa 6–1, 6–2. Renaud Lefevre ’26 was able to pull out a win against Harvard’s Masato Perera 6–1, 4–6, 6–1. 

On the second day, Liao and Ji were both victorious once again, with Liao beating Dartmouth’s Yujiro Onuma 6–3, 6–4, and Ji easily handling Milan Markovits of Princeton, 6–2, 6–3. Shuler and Lefevre both came up just short however, with Shuler falling to Princeton’s Evan Wen 7–5, 6–4, and Lefevre losing in three sets to Princeton’s Alan Kam 7–5, 3–6, 7–6 (7–2). 

In doubles, Shuler partnered with the ITA New England Regionals Champion, Vignesh Gogineni ’26, to claim two victories and advance to the finals. First, they opened the day with an 8–6 win over Dartmouth’s Denny Bao and Carlos Guerrero Alvarez. The pair followed that up with an easy 8–3 victory over Brown’s Luka Butera and Sanjeev Chundu, cementing their spot in the finals the following day. 

In the quarterfinal round, Ji was again victorious, defeating Petar Teodorovic of Cornell in three sets, 6–1, 2–6, 6–4. Liao, however, fell to Cornell’s Rodrigo Fernandes after battling for three sets 4–6, 7–5, 6–3. 

In the semifinals, Ji avenged his teammate Shuler’s loss by rolling right over Fernandes in straight sets, advancing to the final by winning 7–6 (14-12), 6–2. 

In doubles, Gogineni and Shuler started strong in the finals match against Alan Kam and Evan Wen of Princeton, but ended up falling to them 4–6, 7–6 (10–8), 10–6. 

On the final day of the event, Ji faced Carlos Guerrero Alvarez of Dartmouth for the chance to advance to the ITA Masters tournament. As he did all week long, Ji again easily handled his business by triumphing over Alvarez 6–3, 6–2, and was named champion of the Ivy League ITA Masters. 

Ji will now compete at the ITA Masters in San Diego, California, from Nov. 7 through Nov. 10. 

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TENNIS: Vignesh Gogineni ’26 qualifies for NCAA Individual Championship https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2024/10/22/tennis-vignesh-gogineni-26-qualifies-for-ncaa-individual-championship/ Wed, 23 Oct 2024 02:19:28 +0000 https://yaledailynews.com/?p=192973 Yale Men’s Tennis competes at ITA Regionals, Gogineni punches ticket to NCAAs.

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The Yale Men’s Tennis team competed at the ITA Regionals hosted by Harvard this past weekend, with Bulldogs hoping to punch their ticket to the NCAA Individual Championship. 

Vignesh Gogineni ’26 advanced to the finals of the competition, winning an automatic bid to the NCAAs. Two other Bulldogs, Krish Gupta ’28 and Eric Li ’26, made it to the quarterfinals of the singles bracket.

In the round of 64, Gogineni cruised past Niagara’s Tanner Bedard 6–4, 6–2. In the round of 32, Gogineni once again was victorious, beating Harvard’s Mitchell Lee 6–4, 6–1, and he followed that up by beating Cornell’s Eric Verdes 6–2, 6–4 in the round of 16.

I knew going in it would be a tough draw, and that it would take five really good matches to get to where I wanted to be,” Gogineni told the News. “I also knew that I’d be facing mostly Ivy competitors, which meant that the competition would be tough, but I was familiar with a lot of my opponents and what I needed to do to win.”

In the quarterfinals, Gogineni handled Cornell opponent Nathan Mao in a close 7–6 (7–3), 5–7, 6–1 match. 

Gogineni came into the semifinals well aware of what he needed to do to win. He had played against his opponent, Adit Sinha, also from Cornell, several times throughout the years in junior tennis tournaments and through college. Gogineni once again steamrolled a Big Red player, beating Sinha 6–1, 6–1. At that point, Gogineni was strongly outnumbered as the only Yalie left.

“A lot of my pre-match preparation was mentally preparing myself and calming myself down, worrying only about the process and taking it one point at a time rather than thinking about the outcome of the match as a whole,” he said.

In the ITA Regionals, advancing to the championship round guarantees you entry to the NCAA Individual Championships, so Gogineni decided to finally take it easy on the Big Red. He and Cornell’s Radu Papoe agreed to be named regional co-champions rather than play a final match.

Having qualified for the NCAA Division I Singles Championship, Gogineni is now exempt from any further ITA qualification tournaments and will compete at Baylor University from Nov. 19 through 24 in hopes of bringing home the national title. 

Gogineni is the first Yale Men’s Tennis player in seven years to qualify for the ITA Regional Championship. A Yalie has not won the entire competition since 1922.

My main goal is to go down there and have fun. I’m not really setting any expectations, but I’m looking forward to the test and getting valuable experience from playing against the best players in the country,” said Gogineni. “I wouldn’t be here without all of the support from my teammates and coaches, so while I feel like I earned this opportunity and am playing for myself, I also am playing for my teammates and coaches and look forward to representing Yale.”

Gogineni is the first Yale Men’s Tennis player in seven years to qualify for the NCAA Championship.

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