VILLANOVA, Pa. -- The Cornell women's tennis team opened its 2026-27 season with a strong two-day showing at the Delaware-Villanova Invitational, going 9-1 in singles and 8-1 in doubles on day one before adding six more singles wins and eight more doubles victories on day two. The tournament's third and final day was canceled due to weather that prevented play on the outdoor courts.
Cornell opened the tournament on Friday with wins across the board against NJIT and Saint Joseph's. In flight one singles, Michelle Ryndin defeated NJIT's Petra Koszo 7-6, 6-1, and Chloe Fouhety beat NJIT's Tetiana Zhytelna 6-2, 6-1. The Big Red's only day one singles loss came when NJIT's Asima Sazan topped Sage Loudon 7-6, 6-7, 10-2 in a third-set tiebreaker. Cornell swept its three matches against Saint Joseph's, as Victoria Zhao defeated Victoria Tracey 6-3, 6-2, Athena Orzechowski topped Elena Fleming 6-4, 6-0, and Martha Thompson beat June Tronhus 6-0, 6-1. Dylan Gelber, Andrea Martinez de los Rios and Tanika Saravanan added three more wins over NJIT opponents, and Martina Marica closed out day one singles with a 6-3, 6-7, 10-5 win over Evelyn Mejia of Saint Joe's.
The Big Red were nearly as sharp in day one doubles, winning eight of nine matches. Gelber and Marica, Orzechowski and Martinez, Loudon and Ryndin, Fouhety and Zhao, and Thompson and Saravanan all won their first-round pairings, and Zhao and Fouhety, Gelber and Marica, and Thompson and Saravanan each added a second win apiece. Cornell's lone doubles setback came when Saint Joseph's Amari O'Brien and Valeria Casusol edged Marica and Ryndin 7-5.
Cornell carried its momentum into day two against Johns Hopkins and Villanova. In singles, Saravanan defeated Villanova's Olivia Corcoran 7-5, 6-4, Zhao topped Johns Hopkins' Sydney Langer 7-5, 6-2, and Loudon rebounded from her day one loss with a 7-5, 3-6, 1-0 win over Villanova's Miriam Gondorova. Orzechowski cruised past Villanova's Lauren Monti 6-0, 6-2, Thompson battled past Johns Hopkins' Claire Loftus 1-6, 6-1, 1-0, and Marica closed out her weekend undefeated with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Villanova's Emersyn Isaac.
Cornell's doubles success continued Saturday as well. Gelber and Orzechowski defeated NJIT's Sazan and Diana Fernandes 6-4, and Thompson and Saravanan topped NJIT's Lusia Hepcal Barcan and Vanya Virmani 6-2. Loudon and Ryndin beat Johns Hopkins' Jasmine Nguyen and Langer 8-3, Zhao and Fouhety defeated Villanova's Bella De Luise and Anne Moody 8-3, Gelber and Saravanan edged Johns Hopkins' Isabelle Emmanuel and Isabel He 8-7, Orzechowski and Thompson got past Johns Hopkins' Melvin and Sun 8-6, and Martinez and Marica defeated Villanova's Maddie Hills and Gondorova 8-5. Cornell's only day two doubles loss came when Saint Joseph's O'Brien and Casusol again defeated Marica and Ryndin, 7-5.
With the tournament's final day washed out, Cornell wrapped its season-opening event at 15-3 in singles and 16-2 in doubles across the two days of play.
