FORT WORTH, Texas — The 29th-ranked Cornell men’s tennis team opened NCAA Tournament play with a dramatic 4-3 victory over No. 38 Arkansas on Friday afternoon at TCU’s Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center. The Big Red improved to 19-3, while Arkansas closed its season at 16-15.
The win marked the second time in three seasons Cornell has eliminated Arkansas in the opening round at TCU, also defeating the Razorbacks 4-0 in 2024. Friday’s match also served as the final varsity match for Arkansas, which announced in April it will discontinue men’s tennis.
Cornell was forced to rally after dropping the doubles point, as Arkansas claimed wins at Nos. 2 and 3 after some spirited tennis.
The Big Red responded in singles with a strong showing through the middle of the lineup. Freshman Rethin Pranav Senthil Kumar put Cornell on the board with a 6-2, 7-5 win at No. 4, and junior Felipe Pinzon followed with a three-set victory at No. 5, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, to give Cornell a 2-1 lead.
Arkansas took the match lead with wins at Nos. 2 and 6, setting up a tense finish.
At the top of the lineup, Rodrigo Fernandes delivered a statement performance, knocking off No. 17 Jakub Vrba in three sets, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. The victory marked his second straight three-set win over a top-20 opponent and tied the match heading into the final contest. Fernandes topped two-time NCAA singles champ and fifth-ranked Michael Zheng of Columbia in the regular season finale, handing the Big Red its third Ivy title in program history.
Moments later, Petar Teodorovic clinched the match at No. 3, rallying for a 6-4, 5-7, 6-1 victory over Ben Weintraub to send the Big Red into the second round.
The win continued Cornell’s late-season surge, as the Big Red improved to 14-1 in its last 15 matches, including 10 victories over ranked opponents.
Cornell will face either No. 2 TCU or Denver on Saturday, May 2 at 4 p.m. CT for a spot in the regional semifinal.
