Saturday, February 4
Evanston, Ill.
12:30 p.m.
Northwestern
4
vs
0
Harvard
Ninth-Ranked Wildcats Sweep Harvard, 4-0
2/4/2017 4:02:00 PM | Men's Tennis
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern won its eighth straight match to open the 2017 season with a 4-0 victory over Harvard on Saturday at the Combe Tennis Center.
The Wildcats matched the 2009 team for the second-best start to a season at 8-0. The team will try to tie the program record with nine straight wins to open a year tomorrow against Duke at 1:30 p.m.
The 4-0 win was the fifth consecutive shutout by the Wildcats. They have outscored their opponents by a combined score of 35-7.
Northwestern won two of three doubles matches to get things started and then took three consecutive singles match in straight sets.
The Wildcats made it eight straight doubles points won to open the year. The Crimson took the first match at No. 3 with a 6-3 win, but the Wildcats' veterans would not let Harvard steal the point. Captains Konrad Zieba and Sam Shropshire took a 6-4 decision at No. 1 to improve to 6-0 on the year. The point then came down to senior captain Strong Kirchheimer and true freshman Dominik Starý at No. 2. They pulled out a 6-4 win as well to give Northwestern the early advantage.
Sophomore Jason Seidman got things started in singles with a seemingly effortless 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 6 over Samuel Beren. The win was Seidman's sixth in a row and his 10th overall this season.
Konrad Zieba followed soon after with a straight set win of his own at No. 3 over Jean Thirouin. Zieba has won six matches in a row without dropping a set.
With Northwestern at match point on three different courts, Strong Kirchheimer got to the finish line first, downing Kenny Tao at No. 1, 6-3, 6-3. The 26th-ranked player in the country picked up his team-leading 13th win.
Both Dominik Starý at No. 4 and Ben Vandixhorn at No. 5 were a game away from winning their matches went they went unfinished.
Chicago's Big Ten Team is right back at the Combe Tennis Center tomorrow when Duke comes to town for a 1:30 p.m. matchup. The Blue Devils are receiving votes in the latest Oracle ITA national poll. Northwestern will be seeking its program record-tying ninth win in a row to open the year.
#9 Northwestern 4, Harvard 0
Singles
No. 1 – #26 Strong Kirchheimer (NU) def. Kenny Tao (HARV), 6-3, 6-3*
No. 2 – Sam Shropshire (NU) vs. Brian Yeung (HARV), 6-3, 3-6 (unfinished)
No. 3 – Konrad Zieba (NU) def. Jean Thirouin (HARV), 6-1, 6-4
No. 4 – Dominik Starý (NU) vs. Andy Zhou (HARV), 6-4, 5-2 (unfinished)
No. 5 – Ben Vandixhorn (NU) vs. Grant Solomon (HARV), 6-4, 6-5 (unfinished)
No. 6 – Jason Seidman (NU) def. Samuel Beren (HARV), 6-1, 6-1
Order of Finish: 6, 3, 1*
Doubles
No. 1 – Konrad Zieba / Sam Shropshire (NU) def. Brian Yeung / Kenny Tao (HARV), 6-4
No. 2 – Dominik Starý / Strong Kirchheimer (NU) def. Jean Thirouin / Michael Peters (HARV), 6-4*
No. 3 – Christopher Morrow / Logan Weber (HARV) def. Chris Ephron / Michael Lorenzini (NU), 6-3
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2*
The Wildcats matched the 2009 team for the second-best start to a season at 8-0. The team will try to tie the program record with nine straight wins to open a year tomorrow against Duke at 1:30 p.m.
The 4-0 win was the fifth consecutive shutout by the Wildcats. They have outscored their opponents by a combined score of 35-7.
Northwestern won two of three doubles matches to get things started and then took three consecutive singles match in straight sets.
The Wildcats made it eight straight doubles points won to open the year. The Crimson took the first match at No. 3 with a 6-3 win, but the Wildcats' veterans would not let Harvard steal the point. Captains Konrad Zieba and Sam Shropshire took a 6-4 decision at No. 1 to improve to 6-0 on the year. The point then came down to senior captain Strong Kirchheimer and true freshman Dominik Starý at No. 2. They pulled out a 6-4 win as well to give Northwestern the early advantage.
Sophomore Jason Seidman got things started in singles with a seemingly effortless 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 6 over Samuel Beren. The win was Seidman's sixth in a row and his 10th overall this season.
Konrad Zieba followed soon after with a straight set win of his own at No. 3 over Jean Thirouin. Zieba has won six matches in a row without dropping a set.
With Northwestern at match point on three different courts, Strong Kirchheimer got to the finish line first, downing Kenny Tao at No. 1, 6-3, 6-3. The 26th-ranked player in the country picked up his team-leading 13th win.
Both Dominik Starý at No. 4 and Ben Vandixhorn at No. 5 were a game away from winning their matches went they went unfinished.
Chicago's Big Ten Team is right back at the Combe Tennis Center tomorrow when Duke comes to town for a 1:30 p.m. matchup. The Blue Devils are receiving votes in the latest Oracle ITA national poll. Northwestern will be seeking its program record-tying ninth win in a row to open the year.
#9 Northwestern 4, Harvard 0
Singles
No. 1 – #26 Strong Kirchheimer (NU) def. Kenny Tao (HARV), 6-3, 6-3*
No. 2 – Sam Shropshire (NU) vs. Brian Yeung (HARV), 6-3, 3-6 (unfinished)
No. 3 – Konrad Zieba (NU) def. Jean Thirouin (HARV), 6-1, 6-4
No. 4 – Dominik Starý (NU) vs. Andy Zhou (HARV), 6-4, 5-2 (unfinished)
No. 5 – Ben Vandixhorn (NU) vs. Grant Solomon (HARV), 6-4, 6-5 (unfinished)
No. 6 – Jason Seidman (NU) def. Samuel Beren (HARV), 6-1, 6-1
Order of Finish: 6, 3, 1*
Doubles
No. 1 – Konrad Zieba / Sam Shropshire (NU) def. Brian Yeung / Kenny Tao (HARV), 6-4
No. 2 – Dominik Starý / Strong Kirchheimer (NU) def. Jean Thirouin / Michael Peters (HARV), 6-4*
No. 3 – Christopher Morrow / Logan Weber (HARV) def. Chris Ephron / Michael Lorenzini (NU), 6-3
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2*
••••••
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund!
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
David G. Kabiller NU for Life Program - 2025 Video
Tuesday, August 19
This is Northwestern Athletics | 2024-25 Recap
Tuesday, August 19
Northwestern Tennis | New Locker Room Virtual Tour
Wednesday, October 11
Men's Tennis- Gleb Blekher's Ace Clinches Berth in NCAA Tournament Second Round (5/5/23)
Friday, May 05
