PHILADELPHIA - The University of Pennsylvania men's tennis team remained undefeated at Hecht Tennis Center this season with wins over VCU and Fordham on Saturday. The Quakers edged the Rams of VCU, 4-3, avenging their loss from last season prior to sweeping the Rams of Fordham, 7-0. 

How It Happened

Last season, the Red and Blue came up just short on the road against VCU, losing, 4-2. On Saturday, Penn got off to a strong start, taking the doubles spot to go up, 1-0. Kyle Mautner and Dmitry Shatalin won at the Quakers' top doubles spot, 6-3, while the number three doubles team of Max Cancilla and Aleks Huryn also won 6-3. 

That doubles point would prove to be important later on. 

Mautner breezed through his match, winning 6-0, 6-3 to put Penn up 2-0. Kevin Zhu made it 3-0 win a straight sets win in his match as well. After Dmitry Shatalin took the first set, 6-1, it looked as if the Quakers may breeze through their opening match on Saturday morning. However, VCU came storming back. 

Penn lost matches at five and six, and then Shatalin came up just short, losing 7-5 in the third as VCU tied it at 3-3. The result of the match would ride on the shoulders of freshman Edoardo Graziani. Graziani got off to a slow start, losing the first set, 6-4, but bounced back to take the second by two breaks of serve, 6-2. Trailing 4-3 in the decider, Graziani held serve to even the set and then got the hard-fought break of serve to go up 5-4.

With the match on his racquet, the freshman closed it out, winning 6-4 in the third to give the Quakers the 4-3 victory. 

Heading into the match against Fordham, head coach David Gaetz elected to rest his top-three players. At number one doubles, Aleks Huryn and Max Cancilla earned a commanding, 6-1 victory, while Hildebrandt and Jurick teamed up at three doubles to win 6-2 and take the doubles point. 

In singles, Penn took all six matches in straight sets. Jeff Zucker made his season debut, winning 6-2, 6-1. Freshman Jonah Jurick also debuted in the starting lineup as he recorded a 7-6, 6-4 victory. 

What's Next

Penn will host the ECAC tournament next weekend.

Full Results

Penn 4, VCU 3

Singles
1. Kyle Mautner (PENN) d. Stefan Petrovic (VCU) – 6-0, 6-3
2. Edoardo Graziani (PENN) d. Rayane Stable (VCU) – 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
3. Kevin Zhu (PENN) d. Arvid Noren (VCU) – 7-5, 6-3
4. Philip Mobius d. Dmitry Shatalin (PENN) – 1-6, 6-4, 7-5
5. Inigo Torre Martin d. Noah Makarome (PENN) – 6-1, 6-3
6. Javier Amentegui d. Jason Hildebrandt (PENN) – 7-6, 7-6

Doubles
1. Mautner/Shatalin (PENN) d. Amentegui/Stable (VCU) – 6-3
2. Noren/Torre Martin (VCU) d. Graziani/Zhu (PENN) – 7-5
3. Cancilla/Huryn (PENN) d.  Mobius/Rivero Crespo – 6-3

Penn 7, Fordham 0

Singles
1. Dmitry Shatalin (PENN) d. Fabian Mauritzson (FU) - 6-2, 6-3
2. Noah Makarome (PENN) d. Max Green (FU) - 6-2, 6-3
3. Jason Hildebrandt (PENN) d. Lutwin De Macar (FU) - 7-5, 7-6
4. Max Cancilla (PENN) d. Finn Kemper (FU) - 7-6, 6-3
5. Jonah Jurick (PENN) d. Alex Makatsaria (FU) - 7-6, 6-4
6. Jeffrey Zucker (PENN) d. Jeremy Chung (FU) - 6-2, 6-1

Doubles
1. Cancilla/Huryn (PENN) d. Kemper/Green (FU) - 6-1
2. Mauritzson/De Macar (PENN) vs. Shatalin /Funk (PENN) - Unfinished 
3. Hildebrandt/Jurick (PENN) d. Thornes/Segarra - 6-2