Box Score NEW YORK — Sophomore Eero Vasa won in both singles and doubles to help the men's tennis team come to the verge of a huge upset on Saturday, but 16th-ranked Columbia held off Cornell for a 4-2 victory at Dick Savitt Tennis Center. The loss likely ends the season for (14-10, 5-2 Ivy League), which could have earned a share of its second Ivy League title in the last three years with a victory.
 
Though Vasa teamed with junior Joseph McAllister to win at No. 3 doubles, the Lions came away victorious in the other two doubles matches to take the early lead. A win at No. 1 singles doubled the lead for the Big Red fought back. Sophomore Evan Bynoe won a first-set tiebreaker before locking up his No. 6 singles match in the second. Vasa was forced to a third set at No. 5, but he closed out that match to tie the score at 2. It was an unlikely way to do damage against Columbia, which had entered the weekend 29-2 in dual matches from those two singles positions.
 
The Lions regained the lead with a 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 2, meaning the Big Red needed to win the final remaining matches. It was in good shape at No. 4 with junior Daniel Soyfer up 5-3 in the third set against his opponent, and then No. 3 singles match went to a lengthy tiebreaker in the third set. But Columbia's Adam Ambrozy completed his rally from a first-set deficit to clinch for the Lions.
 
While the outcome is expected to keep Cornell out of contention for an NCAA tournament berth, it will find out for sure when the selection show airs through NCAA.com at 6 p.m. Monday.
 

#16 COLUMBIA 4, CORNELL 2

At Dick Savitt Tennis Center; New York
Singles
1. #33 Victor Pham (Clm) def. #100 Alafia Ayeni, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
2. #22 Jack Lin (Clm) def. #56 David Volfson, 6-4, 6-4
3. #122 Adam Ambrozy (Clm) def. Lev Kazakov, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(6)
4. Daniel Soyfer (Cor) vs. #107 Rian Pandole, DNF
5. Eero Vasa (Cor) def. Timothy Wang, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
6. Evan Bynoe (Cor) def. Austen Huang, 7-6, 6-2
Doubles
1. #32 Lin/William Matheson (Clm) def. #37 Soyfer/Volfson, 6-3
2. Pandole/Pham (Clm) def. Ayeni/Kazakov, 6-2
3. Joseph McAllister/Vasa (Cor) def. Ambrozy/Jason Lui, 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1), Singles (1,6,5,2,3)