Caltech set the tone early with a quick doubles win on court two with Andrew Zabelo (Florham Park, N.J. / Newark Academy) and Eric He (Martinsville, N.J./ Bridgewater Raritan) quickly posting a 6-1 score. Colby came back with a doubles win to equalize, but Caltech first-years, Michael Gao (Chesterbrook, P.A. / Conestoga High School) and Jan Safrata (Prague, Czech Republic / Gymnazium Evolution) held in there and picked up a 7-5 win to win the doubles decision for the Beavers.
Caltech powered through singles with momentum and poise. Zabelo struck first with a matching 6-2 sets on Court 2, followed by Safrata prevailing 7-5, 6-2 on Court 6 for his first Caltech singles match point.
Needing just one more singles win to clinch the team victory, it was Eric He who pulled through for Caltech in #3 Singles, holding on for a 6-1, 7-5 win.
Constantin Cedillo-Vayson de Pradenne (Paris, France / Lycée Jean de la Fontaine) battled back in his second set in the top matchup, overcoming a late deficit to win 6-2, 7-6 (8). And finally after splitting sets on court five, Gao prevailed in the 10-point tiebreaker by a 10-6 score.
The Beavers will return to their home courts on Friday at 1 p.m. to take on MIT.
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