TULSA, Okla. (SEPT. 25, 2026) — Junior Rodrigo Fernandes of the Cornell men's tennis team saw his run at the 2026 ITA All-American Championships come to an end Friday afternoon, falling to Kentucky's Nicolas Arseneault 6-3, 6-7 (7), 6-4 in the round of 16 at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.
Fernandes, ranked No. 16 in the preseason ITA rankings, was one win away from earning a spot in the NCAA Singles Championship. Arseneault, ranked 30th in the preseason ITA rankings, took the opening set 6-3 before Fernandes won a 9-7 tiebreaker in the second to force a deciding third set for the second straight day. Arseneault won the third set 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals.
A native of Braga, Portugal, Fernandes went 2-1 in Tulsa, opening the tournament with a straight-set victory over UCLA's Andy Nguyen before claiming a three-set win over No. 32 Andres Santamarta Roig of Virginia in the round of 32.
Fernandes still has opportunities this fall to qualify for the NCAA Singles Championship. He can earn a spot by finishing as the champion or finalist at the ITA New England Regional Championships, as a semifinalist or quarterfinal playoff winner at the ITA East Sectional Championship or as a semifinalist or better at the ITA Conference Masters Championship in Rome, Ga. Both the East Sectional and the Conference Masters run Nov. 5-8.
Elsewhere in the tournament, freshman Cezar Papoe went 1-1 in his collegiate debut on Tuesday, highlighted by a 6-1, 6-3 consolation win over Vanderbilt's Hoyoung Roh, ranked No. 65 in the preseason ITA rankings.
Cornell returns to action on Oct. 8-13 when it participates at the ITA New England Regional Championships in Cambridge, Mass., hosted by Harvard.
TULSA, Okla. (SEPT. 24, 2026) — Junior Rodrigo Fernandes picked up his second consecutive win at the 2026 ITA Men's All-America Championships, moving within a win at earning a spot to the NCAA Singles Championship following his victory over Virginia's Andres Santamarta Roig on Thursday at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.
Fernandes claimed the round of 32 victory over Santamarta Roig by a 6-4, 6-7 (8), 6-2 decision, improving to 2-0 on the year.
Fernandes fell behind 3-1 in the first set, but closed strong and after 45 minutes, picked up the 6-4 victory. The two went back and forth in the second, eventually going to a tiebreaker that ended 10-8 in Virginia's favor to even the match. Fernandes took control late after going into a changeover tied 2-2. The junior held, broke, held and broke again to advance to the round of 16.
Fernandes, ranked No. 16 nationally in the preseason ITA rankings, would punch his ticket to the NCAA Singles Championship if he can get past Kentucky's Nicholas Arseneault in the round of 16. Fernandes and Arseneault, ranked No. 30 nationally, will play on Friday, Sept. 25 at 11:30 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (SEPT. 23, 2026) — Junior Rodrigo Fernandes of the Cornell men's tennis team advanced to the second round of the ITA Men's All-America Championships on Wednesday afternoon at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center, defeating UCLA's Andy Nguyen 6-3, 7-5.
Fernandes took the first set going away before having to fight through the second, rallying from a 5-3 deficit to close out the match and punch his ticket to the Round of 32.
The 16th-ranked Fernandes needs to win two more matches to earn a spot in the NCAA Singles Championship. He will face No. 32 Andres Santamarta Roig of Virginia on Thursday in the Round of 32.
TULSA, Okla. (SEPT. 22, 2026) — Freshman Cezar Papoe made his collegiate debut on Tuesday at the 2026 ITA Men's All-American Championships at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center, splitting a pair of singles matches in the qualifying bracket.
Papoe opened play in the Round of 64, falling to Nebraska's Anissa Rafiq in a three-set battle, 6-7, 6-2, 6-4. He rebounded in consolation action, defeating Vanderbilt's Hoyoung Roh 6-1, 6-3 in the round of 32. His dominant win over the 65th-ranked singles player in the preseason ITA rankings moves him along to the consolation round of 16, where he is scheduled to face Mariano Dedura-Palomero of Texas.
The All-American Championships feature a 64-player main draw and a 64-player qualifying draw in singles, along with a 32-team main draw and 32-team qualifying draw in doubles. A total of 10 singles players will advance to the NCAA Singles Championship out of the event — the eight main-draw quarterfinalists and two consolation finalists — while five doubles teams will qualify for the NCAA Doubles Championship, made up of the four main-draw semifinalists and the consolation champion.
In addition to Papoe, junior Rodrigo Fernandes will compete in the main draw beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 23.
