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As students and faculty enjoyed a well-deserved break, No. 14 Harvard men’s tennis (13-4) hit the ground running, swapping coasts as the team defeated San Diego State (6-7) and No. 44 UC Irvine, while dropping an intense thriller to No. 6 University of San Diego (14-2). Stretching back to its February 9th victory over Louisville, the Crimson looked to extend its seven-match win streak heading into the three-match SoCal road trip.

“The first half of the season we always play indoors,” said junior Masato Perera. “To get a head start we always go to California over spring break to play outdoors. It’s a different game you have to play when you play indoors and outdoors. You have to account for the wind and the sun when it’s in your eyes. When you play outdoors, it’s a little bit slower.”

“It’s definitely an adjustment, which is why we came to California really early,” he added.

Harvard 7, San Diego State 0

Awash with confidence, Harvard traveled to the Aztec Tennis Courts to begin play against SDSU on a mild afternoon in America’s Finest City. The 12-court tennis complex— surfaced with Plexicushion Prestige — provided excellent conditions similar to those at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.

As doubles got underway, it became clear that the indoor-to-outdoor transition failed to hamper the Crimson’s game. At the No. 2 spot, freshman Benjamin Privara and junior Melchior Delloye produced a clinical performance at the net that hamstrung their Aztec opponents, earning them a quick 6-2 victory. Another dominant offensive display at the No. 3 spot by juniors Masato Perera and Valdemar Pepe sealed the doubles point, Harvard’s 14th of the season.

These impressive doubles victories set the tone for the afternoon. The deep Crimson roster showcased superior variety, firepower, and movement, keeping SDSU on the back foot throughout the singles matches. No. 27 ITA-ranked senior captain Daniel Milavsky led Harvard to a 2-0 lead with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Philip Bosse at the number one spot. Wins at positions six and five soon followed, clinching the day’s triumph for the Crimson. The sweep fittingly concluded with San Diego native Rohan Murali’s straight-set performance, denying the Aztecs a single set throughout the encounter. Murali’s victory continued his excellent play at home, building upon an ATP Challenger qualifying run last month that saw the Harvard sophomore oust No. 509 ATP-ranked Bruno Kuzuhara.

“A lot of our guys are really stepping up, so I’ve been really happy with the way things have been going,” Perera said.

Having earned its third shutout of the season, the Crimson remained in high spirits, ready to challenge the Toreros in its toughest matchup of the year.

Harvard 2, University of San Diego 5

Heading into Friday’s matchup, Harvard knew that USD posed a significant challenge. The Crimson sought its first victory over the Toreros since 2014. USD’s season featured wins over many highly ranked teams including No. 7 Duke, No. 12 Oklahoma, No. 16 South Carolina, and No. 21 USC. The energy levels were palpable in the Hogan Tennis Center, and the Crimson looked to gain an early foothold in doubles.

In the fast-paced format, neither side could afford to give an inch. Break points proved scarce, and all three matches looked like they were headed to tiebreaks. But Harvard struck first. Privara and Delloye claimed a 6-4 victory in the third spot, followed by a clutch 7-5 win by Perera and Pepe to give the Crimson a 1-0 lead.

The singles play featured the same level of intensity from both teams. The Toreros counterattacked, claiming five out of six first sets to snap Harvard’s momentum. USD soon converted this pressure onto the scoreboard as Delloye fell 6-3. 6-3. On court three, San Diego’s Stian Klaassen held firm to overcome Pape 6-3, 6-4 as the match turned sharply against the Crimson.

Freshman Mitchell Lee kept Harvard’s hopes alive with a brilliant 6-3, 6-3 victory. The Oakland native’s straight-set performance extended his win streak to four matches, having lost no more than three games in each of those eight sets.

Nevertheless, the Toreros maintained their excellent level of play. On court one, Milavsky battled valiantly in a high-octane encounter of top 30 players but ultimately succumbed 7-6, 6-1 to No. 7 Oliver Tarvet. Tarvet’s victory prolonged his impressive week that saw the USD junior also topple 2024 NCAA champion and No.1 ranked Michael Zheng.

With the Crimson down 2-3, all eyes turned to courts two and four where Privara and Murali had narrowly lost their first sets in tiebreaks. Both Harvard players dug deep, converting lone breaks of serve to push their matches to third sets. Despite this rally, the Toreros would ultimately prevail. USD’s Savriyan Danilov downed Privara 6-2 in the third, and Murali suffered a medical retirement at 3-2 to end the four hour slugfest.

Harvard 6, UC Irvine 1

Closing out the trip at the Anteater Tennis Center, Harvard quickly cruised to an easy victory over UC Irvine. Perera and Pape got the ball rolling with a 6-2 doubles victory, followed closely by a prevailing 6-4 effort from Delloye on Privara on the second court, securing yet another doubles point.

Up 1-0, Lee kicked off singles play with a dominant 6-3, 6-0 win over Sohrob Amiryavari. Perera, Delloye, Milavsky, and Murali all pulled through with straight set victories to send the team back to Cambridge with the victory.

With the road trip concluding, the Crimson now sets its sights on a fourth straight Ivy League title as Ancient Eight play starts. The conference boasts seven teams in the ITA’s top 75, with Columbia slotting in at No. 8.

“There’s not gonna be an easy win for us. We’re gonna have to battle every single match. I think it’s gonna be really fun.”

The team returns to action this Saturday when it faces off against Dartmouth in Hanover, N.H.

– Staff Writer Praveen Kumar can be reached at praveen.kumar@thecrimson.com