No. 36 Lingman, who was playing against Tulane’s No. 11 Michael Kogan, was next to finish, winning a 6-2, 6-4 thriller.

“I knew he was going to be tough,” Lingman admitted, adding “it was a good match.”

Last week, the senior had said that he hoped Harvard would face the Green Wave so that he could have a crack at Kogan.

With the co-captain’s victory, Harvard was just a point from clinching a trip to Tulsa, and Chu appeared about to close out his match.

But when Chu fought his way to match point, his opponent called for the trainer, the second such time the Green Wave claimed an injury timeout at a pivotal moment.

The icing lasted long enough for co-captain Cliff Nguyen to lose 7-6 (3), 4-6, giving Tulane a point and giving Chu something to think about.

“I knew that he was going to try to procrastinate the inevitable for as long as possible,” Chu said with a smile, pointing to the match on the next court which his teammate Riddell led.

“I knew Mark was doing well, too, so I wasn’t really worried about how long [my opponent] was going to take. I would have been here all night if I’d needed to.”

And when the time out ended, Chu’s confidence proved justified. The junior met a second serve with a return his opponent couldn’t quite handle, and his match—a 6-3, 6-4 win—secured Harvard’s.

Riddell’s match—which he led 7-6 (4), 4-1—was suspended.

“We never really know what to expect,” Chu said of the 4-2 margin of victory over a Tulane team which entered the day with a higher ranking but lower seed. “We just train for any conditions, any possibilities.”

That training might have proven key yesterday, as the match was delayed for nearly an hour and a half while the Cambridge drizzle was considered.

Finally, tournament officials decided to play the match inside, a move which surely hurt the Green Wave team which competes inside less frequently.

“I guess they’re used to playing outdoors,” Lingman mused, “so it’s kind of a good deal that we got them indoors [where the Crimson regularly competes].”

But more than that, Harvard appeared sharp. The team was ready, it was inspired, and, as Lingman said, it “came out here with a purpose.”

“I’m impressed with how all the guys, up and down the line, are playing,” he added.

The team hopes its play will continue to impress.

On May 22, the Crimson will travel to the University of Tulsa to take on top-ranked Illinois (28-0, 13-0 Big Ten), the defending national champions, in the Round of 16.

—Staff writer Rebecca A. Seesel can be reached at seesel@fas.harvard.edu.