ITHACA, N.Y. – The men's tennis team finished in fourth place at the ECAC Indoor Championships over the weekend following a 4-1 loss to Columbia on Saturday and a 4-2 setback against Princeton on Sunday at Reis Tennis Center. The results leave Cornell at 8-2, ending the eight-match winning streak in its first dual matches of the season.
 
The Big Red, which has been receiving votes but falling outside of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Top 25 Coaches Poll leading up to the event, was seeded third for the tournament leading up to its 5-1 victory over sixth-seeded Yale on Friday. That set up Saturday evening's semifinal match against second-seeded Columbia.
 
Cornell started off strong by securing the doubles point, but Columbia prevailed in the first set of all singles matches except for Vladislav Melnic's clash at #2. Senior Evan Bynoe fought back to win his second set at #4, but the Lions clinched the matches by closing out victories in the other four spots before Melnic and Bynoe could play out their respective third sets.
 
Sunday's third-place match came against fourth-seeded Princeton, which fell to eventual champion Harvard in the semifinals. The Tigers started off against the Big Red by winning the doubles point, then the teams split the opening sets of singles play.
 
Radu Papoe got Cornell on the board with a win at #3, then Melnic prevailed in a second-set tiebreaker at to wrap up a win at #2 to knot the match at 2. The last two-setter went the Tigers' way to leave the balance on the third set of matches at #1 and #4 – and while Adit Sinha was serving to win at the latter, Princeton clinched the match by closing out the win from the top spot.
 
Up next for Cornell is neutral-site match against Vanderbilt on Sunday at Harvard's Murr Center in Boston.
 
PRINCETON 4, CORNELL 2
Sunday's results
At Reis Tennis Center; Ithaca, N.Y.
Singles
1. Ryan Seggerman (P) def. #27 Alafia Ayeni, 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-4
2. Vladislav Melnic (C) def. #68 Karl Poling, 6-1, 7-6(6)
3. Radu Papoe (C) def. Damian Rodriguez, 6-4, 6-1
4. Adit Sinha (C) vs. Thomas Boasncic, DNF (4-6, 6-3, 5-4)
5. Will Peters (P) def. Jack McCarthy, 7-5, 6-2
6. Filippos Astreindis (P) def. Sam Paquette, 6-4, 6-2
Doubles
1. Ayeni/Melnic (C) def. Justin Barki/Seggerman, 6-2
2. Poling/Rodriguez (P) def. McCarthy/Pietro Rimondini, 6-2
3. Astreindis/T. Boasncic (P) def. Nathan Mao/Sinha, 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3), Singles (3,6,2,5,1)
 
COLUMBIA 4, CORNELL 1
Saturday's results
At Reis Tennis Center; Ithaca, N.Y.
Singles
1. #8 Alex Kotzen (Col) def. #27 Alafia Ayeni, 7-6(5), 7-5
2. Vladislav Melnic (Cor) vs. #77 Hugo Hashimoto, DNF (6-2, 4-6, 4-3)
3. Max Westphal (Col) def. Radu Papoe, 6-4, 6-4
4. Evan Bynoe (Cor) vs. Austen Huang, DNF (4-6, 6-4, 1-2)
5. Henry Ruger (Col) def. Pietro Rimondini, 6-3, 7-6(5)
6. Roko Horvat (Col) def. Adit Sinha, 6-4, 6-4
Doubles
1. Ayeni/Melnic (Cor) def. Westphal/Theo Winegar, 6-3
2. Bynoe/Rimondini (Cor) vs. Horvat/Huang, DNF (4-4)
3. Nathan Mao/Sinha (Cor) def. Ruger/Jayden Templeman, 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3), Singles (3,6,1,5)