COLUMBUS, Ohio — The top half of the singles lineup cruised to straight-set victories, then Evan Bynoe clinched the Cornell men's tennis team's first dual victory of the season at No. 4 singles in a 4-1 win over Virginia Commonwealth on Sunday morning at OSU Varsity Tennis Center.
 
The neutral-side match was the consolation tilt at an ITA 2019 Kick-Off Weekend regional hosted by Ohio State, after both Cornell and VCU (3-2) were defeated in Saturday's opening round.
 
After VCU claimed the doubles point, Cornell responded quickly in singles with Alafia Ayeni turning a dominant 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 1. Daniel Soyfer and Lev Kazakov then sprinted away with 6-1 victories in the second set of their respective matches at the next two spots down the order, giving Cornell a 3-1 lead.
 
The remaining three matches went to a third set, with VCU needing to win each to take the match. But early breaks allowed the Big Red to take control, and Bynoe won the race to the clinching point.
 
Cornell continues its travels next weekend with visits to Michigan on Friday and Michigan State on Saturday.
 

CORNELL 4, VCU 1

Sunday's results
at OSU Varsity Tennis Center; Columbus, Ohio
Singles
1. Alafia Ayeni (C) def. Rayane Stable, 6-2, 6-1
2. Lev Kazakov (C) def. Arvid Noren, 7-5, 6-1
3. Daniel Soyfer (C) def. Phillip Mobius, 6-3, 6-1
4. Evan Bynoe (C) def. Inigo Torre Martin, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
5. Pietro Rimondini (C) def. Javier Amantegui, DNF
6. Konstantin Kirovski (C) vs. Inaki Rivero Crespo, DNF
Doubles
1. Ayeni/Eero Vasa (C) vs. Amantegui/Stable, DNF
2. Noren/Torre Martin (V) def. Kirovski/Soyfer, 6-0
3. Moblus/Rivero Crespo (V) def. Kazakov/Joseph McAllister, 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3), Singles (1,3,2,4)
Records: Cornell 1-1, VCU 3-2