ITHACA, N.Y. – The Cornell men's tennis team started its dual season in convincing fashion this weekend, blanking Fordham on Friday, 7-0, before sweeping singles to defeat Drake, 6-1, on Saturday at Reis Tennis Center.
 
While Drake (0-1) started Saturday's contest by winning all three doubles matches to secure the opening point, Cornell (2-0) took control by winning the opening set in five of the six singles matches – including a tiebreaker from Jack McCarthy at the #6 position. The Big Red then rolled to capture the second set on each court to clinch the match before Adit Sinha completed the comeback to win in three sets at #5.
 
The match against the Bulldogs was originally scheduled for Friday evening, but travel travails from the Midwest pushed the contest to Saturday morning. The Big Red was still in action on Friday afternoon, though, with a dominating 7-0 sweep of visiting Fordham (2-1). All six singles matches were decided in straight sets with the visitors only capturing more than two games in any set once. Five of the Big Red's six singles entrants were competing in their first respective collegiate dual matches, and all of them won in straight sets.
 
The Big Red returns to Reis Tennis on Sunday, Jan. 30, when it hosts a doubleheader against Penn State (1 p.m.) and St. Bonaventure (4:30 p.m.).
 

Cornell 6, Drake 1

Saturday's results; at Reis Tennis Center, Ithaca, N.Y.
Singles
1. #18 Alafia Ayeni (C) def. Jeremy Schifris, 6-2, 6-4
2. Vladislav Melnic (C) def. Oliver Johansson, 6-1, 6-2
3. Radu Papoe (C) def. Evan Fragistas, 6-4, 6-1
4. Evan Bynoe (C) def. Olle Sonesson Lidholt, 6-2, 7-5
5. Adit Sinha (C) def. Reid Jarvis, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5
6. Jack McCarthy (C) def. Markus Bolin, 7-6, 7-5
Doubles
1. Johansson/Schifris (D) def. Ayeni/Melnic, 6-4
2. Bolin/Matija Matic (D) def. McCarthy/Sinha, 7-6
3. Fragistas/Lidholt (D) def. Bynoe/Papoe, 6-1

Cornell 7, Fordham 0

Friday's results; at Reis Tennis Center, Ithaca, N.Y.
Singles
1. Radu Papoe (C) def. Juan Paderes, 6-1, 6-0
2. Evan Bynoe (C) def. Nicholas Kanazirev, 6-2, 6-2
3. Adit Sinha (C) def. Tom Russwurm, 6-1, 6-0
4. Samuel Paquette (C) def. Toi Kobayashi, 7-6, 6-0
5. Nathan Mao (C) def. Jofre Segarra, 6-2, 6-1
6. Maxwell Moadel (C) def. Rhett Bailey, 6-0, 6-0
Doubles
1. Alafia Ayeni/Vladislav Melnic (C) def. Kanazirev/Paderes, 6-1
2. Jack McCarthy/Sinha (C) def. Kobayashi/Segarra, 6-1
3. Bynoe/Papoe (C) def. Bailey/Russwurm, 6-1