No. 12 Men’s Tennis Sweeps Big Red to Advance to ECAC Finals

Saturday, February 14

Princeton, N.J.

3:00 PM

Columbia

Cornell

Thanaphat Boosarawongse and Aditya Govila doubles point

No. 12 Men’s Tennis Sweeps Big Red to Advance to ECAC Finals

2/14/2026 5:52:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Results (PDF)

Lions extend winning streak to three in a row

PRINCETON, N.J. — The 12th-ranked Columbia men's tennis team punched its ticket to the ECAC Indoor Championships final with a dominant 4-0 sweep of Cornell on Saturday at the Lenz Tennis Center.

The Lions (5-3) showcased their depth, taking the doubles point and rolling through the top three singles spots to secure the decisive semifinal victory.

Columbia responded emphatically after dropping a tight decision at No. 1 doubles. Cornell (5-2) edged the nationally ranked tandem of Nicolas Kotzen and Andrew Ena, 7-6(7), but the Lions quickly seized control on the remaining courts.

Sachin Palta and Michael Zheng evened doubles play with a commanding 6-2 win at No. 2, applying consistent pressure from the baseline and at the net. The duo improved to 2-1 as playing partners and have won two in a row.

The point came down to Court 3, where the No. 25-ranked duo of Thanaphat Boosarawongse and Aditya Govila delivered under pressure. The pair broke late and closed out a 7-5 victory to give Columbia the early 1-0 advantage.

From there, the Lions' nationally ranked firepower in singles proved too much.

No. 37 Sachin Palta extended the lead quickly at No. 3 when Petar Teodorovic retired with Palta ahead 3-0, pushing Columbia in front 2-0.

At No. 2, No. 25 Nicolas Kotzen turned in one of the most complete performances of the afternoon. After securing a 6-4 first set, Kotzen overwhelmed Eric Verdes in the second, 6-0, to move the Lions within one point of clinching.

That final point came from the nation's No. 3-ranked player. Michael Zheng controlled the tempo throughout his top-flight matchup, earning a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Rodrigo Fernandez to seal the 4-0 win and send Columbia into the championship match.

Three additional singles contests went unfinished once the outcome was decided. Boosarawongse had claimed a tight first-set tiebreak at No. 4, 7-6(6), while Abhishek Thorat led early in a competitive third set at No. 5 after taking the opening frame, 6-4. At No. 6, Aditya Govila captured a marathon first-set tiebreak, 7-6(8), before play was halted.

The Lions return to action tomorrow at 3 p.m. in the championship match of the ECAC Indoor Championships. The top-seeded Lions will take on the winner of No. 6 Penn/No. 2 Princeton.

RESULTS
Singles
1. #3 Michael Zheng (COL) def. Rodrigo Fernandez, 6-3, 6-3
2. #25 Nicolas Kotzen (COL) def. Eric Verdes, 6-4, 6-0
3. #37 Sachin Palta (COL) def. Petar Teodorovic, 3-0 retired
4. Thanaphat Boosarawongse (COL) vs. Felipe Pinzon, 7-6(6), 0-0 unfinished
5. Abhishek Thorat (COL) vs. Rethin Pranav Senthil Kumar, 6-4, 3-4 unfinished
6. Aditya Govila (COL) vs. Rushil Khosla 7-6(8), 0-1 unfinished

Doubles
1. Rodrigo Fernandes/Eric Verdes def. #54 Nicolas Kotzen/Andrew Ena (COL), 7-6(7)
2. Sachin Palta/Michael Zheng (COL) def. Rushil Kholsa/Rethin Pranav Senthil Kumar, 6-2
3. #25 Thanaphat Boosarawongse/Aditya Govila (COL) def. Felipe Pinzon/Petar Teodorovic, 7-5

Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (3,2,1)

FOLLOWING THE LIONS
Stay up to date on all things Columbia Men's Tennis by following the Lions on X (@CULionsMTEN), Instagram (@culionsmten) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).