SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The UC San Diego men's tennis team fell to Harvard, 4-2, Monday at San Diego State's Aztec Tennis Center.

The loss puts the Tritons' record at 4-12 overall, while the Crimson moved to 6-3.
 
INSIDE THE MATCH
Final Score: Harvard 4, UC San Diego 2
Team Records: UC San Diego 4-12; Harvard 6-3 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons remained determined, earning a couple of key points during singles play and giving Harvard a challenge during doubles.

William Lan and Eric Silberman made their season debut as a team at No. 3 and came out swinging. The duo took a 5-4 lead in their match but left it unfinished as Harvard won at No. 1 and No. 2 to clinch the doubles point.

The Tritons took the loss in stride and battled hard during the singles matches. At No. 4, Pelayo Rodriguez handled his opposition well, winning the first set 7-5. Charles Qian gave a remarkable effort, earning a comeback win at No. 5 with the tiebreaker going to 10-8. The Tritons earned another win at No. 6 from Joseph Teh, whose opponent retired during the first set after the score reached 6-6.

Unfortunately for the Tritons, the singles went to Harvard as well after victories at Nos. 1, 2, and 3, thus earning the Crimson their sixth win of the season.

RESULTS
Doubles
1. Harris Walker/ Daniel Milavsky (Harvard) def. Daniel Traxler/ Pelayo Rodriguez (UC San Diego) 6-1
2. Ronan Jachuck/Steven Sun (Harvard) def. Joseph Teh/ Diogo Tinoco (UC San Diego) 6-4
3. William Lan/ Eric Silberman (UC San Diego) vs. Alan Yim/ David Lins (Harvard) 5-4 (unfinished)
Order of Finish: 1,2

Singles
1. Harris Walker (Harvard) def. Daniel Traxler (UC San Diego) 6-2, 7-5
2. Daniel Milavsky (Harvard) def. Diogo Tinoco (UC San Diego) 6-1, 6-2
3. Valdemar Pape (Harvard) def. Jett Cole (UC San Diego) 6-0, 6-2
4. Pelayo Rodriguez (UC San Diego) vs. Alan Yim (Harvard) 7-5, 1-1 (unfinished)
5. Charles Qian (UC San Diego) def. Masato Perera (Harvard) 3-6, 7-6 (3), 10-8
6. Joseph Teh (UC San Diego) def. Mark Ktiri (Harvard) 6-6, (retired)
Order of Finish: 2, 6, 3, 1, 5

WHAT HEAD COACH TIMMER WILLING HAD TO SAY
"The guys competed hard in doubles to start and fell short. Charles got a third set win in singles while Joseph made his debut. Pelay's match was left unfinished with him leading. Harvard was extremely tough, as expected, and will finish high in the rankings at the end of the year. They exhibited solid play and good coaching as you would expect from this team"

TRITON TIDBITS
- Today marked the first appearance of William Lan and Eric Silberman as a doubles team.

 
UP NEXT
The UC San Diego Men's Tennis team hosts Navy this upcoming Friday, March 17, at 3 p.m at Northview Tennis Courts.
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.