PHILADELPHIA — Alongside sophomore David Volfson, freshman Lev Kazakov won in a tiebreaker in the deciding doubles match before going on to a dominating win in No. 2 singles to highlight the men's tennis team's 4-2 victory over Penn on Sunday at Hecht Tennis Center.
 
Freshman Pietro Rimondini clinched the match for 24th-ranked Cornell (17-3, 2-1 Ivy League), winning in three sets at No. 4 singles to help the Big Red keep pace and remain one match league-leading Columbia and Harvard with two weeks remaining in its regular season. Rimondini now holds a sterling 11-1 singles record in dual matches, including a nine-match winning streak dating back to January.
 
After securing the doubles point, the Big Red told a stranglehold of the match with victories in the first two singles tilts to reach completion. Kazakov, who entered the week ranked 108th nationally by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, cruised at No. 2 before junior Daniel Grunberger closed out his match at No. 6 in a second-set tiebreaker. Grunberger returned to the lineup this weekend for the first time since early March.
 
Penn (13-8, 0-2 Ivy) worked its way back into the match with points at Nos. 1 and 3, but Rimondini wrapped up the weekend sweep for the Big Red.
 
Cornell now sits in a tie for third place with Dartmouth in the Ivy League standings at 2-1, with Columbia and Harvard now at 3-0. Even if the Big Red comes up short in the Ivy League title race, it remains in good position to secure the program's first-ever at-large berth to the NCAA tournament in May.
 
The Big Red hits the road next weekend for matches at 1 p.m. Saturday at Dartmouth and 1 p.m. Sunday at Harvard.
 
#24 CORNELL 4, PENN 2
Singles
1. Kyle Mautner (P) def. Colin Sinclair, 6-1, 4-6, 4-4 (retired)
2. #108 Lev Kazakov (C) def. Nicolas Podesta, 6-0, 6-1
3. Josh Pompan (P) def. Chris Vrabel, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
4. Pietro Rimondini (C) def. Matt Nardella, 2-6, 7-5, 6-4
5. Bernardo Casares (C) vs. Nicholai Westergaard, DNF
6. Daniel Grunberger (C) def. Max Cancilla, 6-3, 7-6
Doubles
1. Sinclair/Vrabel (C) def. Marshall Sharp/Westergaard, 6-1
2. Mautner/Nardella (P) def. Casares/Al Hill, 6-3
3. Kazakov/David Volfson (C) def. Pompan/Thomas Spratt, 7-6(5)
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3), Singles (2,6,3,1,4)
Records: Cornell 17-3, 2-1 Ivy; Penn 13-8, 0-2