NEW YORK — Freshman Pietro Rimondini won in straight sets in No. 5 singles, but the men's tennis team dropped a 4-1 decision to three-time defending Ivy League champion Columbia on Saturday afternoon at Dick Savitt Tennis Center.
 
Cornell (15-3, 0-1 Ivy League) entered the weekend ranked 20th in the country by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, but it ultimately dropped its second match of the season against 25th-ranked Columbia (12-3, 1-0) in a pivotal league debut for the two favorites going into Ivy League play. Even with the loss, Cornell still remains well positioned for NCAA tournament considerations with three weeks of play remaining.
 
The Lions won the bottom two doubles matches to take a 1-0 lead, then it took the top two singles matches in straight sets behind a pair of nationally-ranked competitors. At No. 2, senior Colin Sinclair's incredible run of 12 straight singles victories to open the dual season came to a close, though it marked the first time this year he appeared so high in the order.
 
Rimondini got the Big Red on the board with a 7-5, 6-3 victory at No. 5, improving his singles record to 10-1 this year. The middle two tilts were in close three-set matches, but Columbia clinched the match with a 7-5, 6-0 win at No. 6.
 
Cornell will look to regroup this week before hosting Princeton at 2 p.m. Friday at Reis Tennis Center. The Big Red then travels to Penn for a match at 1 p.m. next Sunday.
 
#25 COLUMBIA 4, #20 CORNELL 1
Singles
1. #101 Shawn Hadavi (Clm) def. David Volfson, 6-1, 6-2
2. #72 Victor Pham (Clm) def. Colin Sinclair, 7-5, 6-2
3. Lev Kazakov (Cor) vs. #90 Jackie Tang, DNF
4. Chris Vrabel (Cor) vs. Alex Keyser, DNF
5. Pietro Rimondini (Cor) def. William Matheson, 7-5, 6-3
6. Timothy Wang (Clm) def. Bernardo Casares Rosa, 7-5, 6-0
Doubles
1. Sinclair/Volfson (Cor) vs. #19 R. Pham/V. Pham, DNF
2. Hadavi/Tang (Clm) def. Casares/Vrabel, 6-3
3. Christopher Grant/Michal Rolski (Clm) def. Al Hill/Kazakov, 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3), Singles (1,2,5,6)