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Junior Manfredi Graziani prepares to hit the ball against Columbia on Apr. 7, 2024.
Credit: Carly ZhaoPenn men’s tennis has stormed through the first part of its season — serving up a 5-0 record. In under a month, the Quakers have sunk Navy, downed old and new opponents, and continued to build a team identity.
On Jan. 24, for the first time in program history, the Quakers faced Virginia Tech, an ACC opponent that is typically an NCAA-caliber team. Despite this, the Red and Blue dug deep for a 4-3 win that set the tone for the spring. Two days later, the Red and Blue took on the Yale Bulldogs at home — resulting in an impressive 5-2 victory.
“We actually won the match 4-0 ... but because it's early in the season, we decided to play it out,” head coach Rich Bonfiglio said. “I think that's the best team [Yale’s] had in over a decade, and it's always tough playing those conference opponents.”
A critical individual win came from senior Tal Goodman in the number two singles flight. Freshmen Shaurya Bharadwaj also had an impressive showing — closing his match out with a 10-point match tiebreak.
Perhaps most notable win was junior Manfredi Graziani’s 6-1, 7-5 victory over nationally ranked Vignesh Gogineni of Yale — who came into the match after recently downing a top twenty player against Notre Dame. Despite this, Graziani rallied for a straight-set win, bringing the pair’s career record to 2-1.
“I knew going into the match he had been playing really well,” Graziani said. “So I tried to just stay present during the match and fight through it, especially that second set.”
Graziani is not the only person who’s made an impressive mark early in the season. Currently undefeated in both singles and doubles, Bharadwaj has held his ground, marking a successful transition from juniors to Division I tennis.
“Before college tennis, you’re not really part of a team,” Bharadwaj said. “But being part of this team, it’s just so much easier to push yourself and work harder, even when you’re not feeling well. They really lift you up.”
The team’s current success is no accident. Throughout the fall and up until now, the Quakers have endured long practices to hone specific parts of their game.
“We’re trying to just stay solid through the middle of the court and learn to make the right decisions at the right time,” Goodman said.
Building a mentality has also been an important focus for not only the team’s success but also for the program’s identity, according to Bonfiglio.
“I think all the guys have done a really good job of kind of buying into a blue-collar mentality,” Bonfiglio said, “We’re focussing on no cheap points, nothing easy, hard work, blue-collar mentality. I think that's something that we want as a cornerstone of our program.”
The season's first five matches have all been played at home at Hamlin/Hecht Tennis Centers. On Feb. 8, the Quakers will give up their home-court advantage as they head down south to play SEC powerhouse Tennessee.
“It's always tough going to Knoxville and playing on the road,” Bonfiglio said. “But I think the mentality switches to how are you gonna handle the adversity? They're gonna have a big rowdy crowd and I think it's one of those things you gotta embrace and enjoy the moment.”
Upon their return from Knoxville, the Quakers will host the ECAC Championship from Feb. 14 to Feb. 16.
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