PHILADELPHIA - The University of Pennsylvania men's tennis team (12-9, 1-0 Ivy) earned its ninth straight win at home on Saturday as the Quakers defeated Ivy rival Princeton, 6-1. The win marks the team's ninth straight at home and the first win against Princeton in the last three seasons. Penn will continue Ivy League play on Friday when they host Columbia. 

How it Happened
In 2016 and 2017, the Quakers suffered back-to-back 4-3 losses to Princeton. On an eight-match win streak on their home courts, they looked to flip that result on Saturday. Taking the doubles point and setting the tone early would be key for the Red and Blue. With Dmitry Shatalin back in the line-up playing at the No. 1 slot with fellow junior Kyle Mautner, the duo took the top doubles match 6-4. Penn lost by the same score at No. 2, but the third team of Max Cancilla clinched the doubles point with a 6-4 victory of their own.

While taking the doubles point, the match was far from over with six singles matches still needing to be played. At the top singles spot, Mautner toughed out the opening set in a tiebreak, the fourth time this season that the junior has won an opening-set tiebreaker. The No. 1 men's singles player used the momentum from the opening set to take the second 6-3 and win in straight sets. 

Joining Mautner in straight set wins were Josh Pompan and Max Cancilla.

Rejoining the line-up against Princeton, unlike Mautner, Shatalin fell in his opening-set 5-7 to go down early. The junior went on to win his fifth three-set match -- his fourth after losing the opener -- as he took the next two 6-4, 6-3. 

Nicholai Westergaard won a three-set match of his own. After winning the opener 6-3, he went down 1-6 in the second to even the match. The No. 5 Penn men's singles player bounced back nicely in the decider staying mentally tough winning in a tiebreaker. 

The Red and Blue's only loss of the day came at No. 6 singles, as Noah Makarome came up just short losing in straight sets. 

Full Results

Doubles
1. Mautner/Shatalin (PENN) def. Gamble/Rodriguez (PRIN) - 6-4
2. Holden/Seggerman (Princeton) def. Pompan/Westergaard (Penn) - 6-4
3. Cancilla/Huryn (PENN) def. Vives/Wasserman (PRIN) - 6-4

Singles
1. Kyle Mautner (PENN) def. Kial Kaiser (PRIN) - 7-6, 6-3
2. Josh Pompan (PENN) def. Ryan Seggerman (PRIN) - 6-2, 6-3
3. Dmitry Shatalin (PENN) def. Luke Gamble (PRIN) - 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
4. Max Cancilla (PENN) def. Damian Rodriguez (PRIN) - 6-3, 6-3
5. Nicholai Westergaard (PENN) def. Davey Roberts (PRIN) - 6-3, 1-6, 7-6
6. Payton Holden (PRIN) def. Noah Makarome (PENN) - 6-2, 6-3

What's Next
The Quakers host Columbia on Friday at 1 p.m. as they continue Ivy League play. They will then travel to Cornell on Sunday.