NEW YORK — The women's tennis team was handed a 4-1 loss by Columbia on Saturday in the teams' Ivy League opener at Dick Savitt Tennis Center. Senior Madison Stevens accounted for the lone Big Red point with a straight-set victory at No. 5 singles.
 
Though the No. 1 doubles team of senior Priyanka Sha and sophomore Ananya Dua was even at 4-4, Columbia (9-5, 1-0 Ivy) won the other two doubles matches by identical scores of 6-2 to take an early lead. The Lions then built on that with straight-set singles victories at No. 2 and No. 6
 
Cornell (6-8, 0-1 Ivy) countered with a win in a homecoming of sorts, with Stevens hailing from nearby northern New Jersey. Her match was closely contested, but she prevailed, 6-4, 6-4, to cut the Big Red's deficit to 3-1. The visitors needed to win all remaining singles matches after the sides split the first two sets, but Columbia won them all to close out the day.
 
Up next for the Big Red is a meeting against Princeton in a match of two of the three teams that shared the 2017 Ivy League title. The match is set for 1 p.m. Friday at Reis Tennis Center. 
 
COLUMBIA 6, CORNELL 1
At Dick Savitt Tennis Center; New York
Singles
1. Christie Wan (Clm) def. Priyanka Shah, 6-3, 5-7, (10-4)
2. Jennifer Kerr (Clm) def. Mariko Iinuma, 6-2, 6-3
3. Andrea Kevakian (Clm) def. Ananya Dua, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2
4. Ali Pollack (Clm) def. Cheyenne Lilienthal, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
5. Madison Stevens (Cor) def. Sarah Rahman, 6-4, 6-4
6. Adi Milstein (Clm) def. Ana Elhom, 6-3, 6-3
Doubles
1. Dua/Shah (Cor) vs. Milstein/Wan, DNF
2. Kerr/Sarah Hu (Clm) def. Lilienthal/Stevens, 6-2
3. Kevakian/Renee Ren (Clm) def. Iinuma/Michelle Wang, 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3), Singles (2,6,5,3,4,1)
Records: Cornell 6-8, 0-1 Ivy; Columbia 9-5, 1-0 Ivy