
Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Lem Photography
No. 34 Columbia Men’s Tennis Takes Down No. 39 Penn
4/10/2026 5:55:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Lions extend winning streak to four, return home undefeated in Ivy League play
PHILADELPHIA — No. 34 Columbia Lions secured a key Ivy League road victory Friday, defeating No. 39 Penn Quakers 4-1 at the Hamlin/Hecht Tennis Centers behind dominant singles play.
Columbia (13-6, 3-0 Ivy) opened by taking two of three doubles matches. Sachin Palta and Andrew Ena dominated at No. 2, 6-1, before Thanaphat Boosarawongse and Abhishek Thorat edged the clincher in a tiebreak at No. 3. Penn's pairing of Manfredi Graziani and Aaron Sandler took the No. 1 match, 6-4, but the Lions had already secured the early 1-0 advantage.
The Lions extended the lead in singles behind a strong showing at the top of the lineup. No. 9 Michael Zheng battled past No. 71 Manfredi Graziani, 7-6(4), 6-1, to push Columbia ahead 2-0. Shortly after, No. 45 Nicolas Kotzen added another point with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Luka Butera at No. 2.
Penn (16-8, 2-2 Ivy) picked up its lone point when Shaurya Bharadwaj defeated Sachin Palta 6-3, 6-1 at No. 3, but Columbia quickly answered.
Thorat clinched the match at No. 5, taking a first-set tiebreak before pulling away for a 7-6(3), 6-1 victory over Adam Bain to secure the 4-1 final.
Two additional matches went unfinished, with Columbia in a strong position. Boosarawongse had forced a third set at No. 4 after splitting the first two, while Aditya Govila was trailing a set but even in the second.
The win by the Lions capped off a perfect 3-0 road trip and ended Penn's 11-match winning streak on their home courts.
Columbia returns to action on Sunday when they host #37 Princeton at the Philip & Cheryl Milstein Family Tennis Center. Sunday's match is scheduled for a 1 p.m. first serve.
Results
Singles
1. #9 Michael Zheng (COL) def. #71 Manfredi Graziani (PENN), 7-6(4), 6-1
2. #45 Nicolas Kotzen (COL) def. Luka Butera (PENN), 6-2, 6-4
3. Shaurya Bharadwaj (PENN) def. #84 Sachin Palta (COL), 6-3, 6-1
4. Thanaphat Boosarawongse (COL) vs. Vojtech Vales (PENN), 4-6, 6-0, 0-1 unfinished
5. Abhishek Thorat (COL) def. Adam Bain (PENN) 7-6(3), 6-1
6. Aditya Govila (COL) vs. Matthew Rutter (PENN) 6-3, 2-2 unfinished
Doubles
1. Mandredi Graziani/Aaron Sandler (PENN) def. Michael Zheng/Nicolas Kotzen (COL), 6-4
2. Sachin Palta/Andrew Ena (COL) def. Vojtech Vales/Justin Chung (PENN), 6-1
3. Thanaphat Boosarawongse/Abhishek Thorat (COL) def. Shaurya Bharadwaj/Nischal Spurling (PENN) 7-6
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (4,3,1,2,5,6)
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).
Columbia (13-6, 3-0 Ivy) opened by taking two of three doubles matches. Sachin Palta and Andrew Ena dominated at No. 2, 6-1, before Thanaphat Boosarawongse and Abhishek Thorat edged the clincher in a tiebreak at No. 3. Penn's pairing of Manfredi Graziani and Aaron Sandler took the No. 1 match, 6-4, but the Lions had already secured the early 1-0 advantage.
The Lions extended the lead in singles behind a strong showing at the top of the lineup. No. 9 Michael Zheng battled past No. 71 Manfredi Graziani, 7-6(4), 6-1, to push Columbia ahead 2-0. Shortly after, No. 45 Nicolas Kotzen added another point with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Luka Butera at No. 2.
Penn (16-8, 2-2 Ivy) picked up its lone point when Shaurya Bharadwaj defeated Sachin Palta 6-3, 6-1 at No. 3, but Columbia quickly answered.
Thorat clinched the match at No. 5, taking a first-set tiebreak before pulling away for a 7-6(3), 6-1 victory over Adam Bain to secure the 4-1 final.
Two additional matches went unfinished, with Columbia in a strong position. Boosarawongse had forced a third set at No. 4 after splitting the first two, while Aditya Govila was trailing a set but even in the second.
The win by the Lions capped off a perfect 3-0 road trip and ended Penn's 11-match winning streak on their home courts.
Columbia returns to action on Sunday when they host #37 Princeton at the Philip & Cheryl Milstein Family Tennis Center. Sunday's match is scheduled for a 1 p.m. first serve.
Results
Singles
1. #9 Michael Zheng (COL) def. #71 Manfredi Graziani (PENN), 7-6(4), 6-1
2. #45 Nicolas Kotzen (COL) def. Luka Butera (PENN), 6-2, 6-4
3. Shaurya Bharadwaj (PENN) def. #84 Sachin Palta (COL), 6-3, 6-1
4. Thanaphat Boosarawongse (COL) vs. Vojtech Vales (PENN), 4-6, 6-0, 0-1 unfinished
5. Abhishek Thorat (COL) def. Adam Bain (PENN) 7-6(3), 6-1
6. Aditya Govila (COL) vs. Matthew Rutter (PENN) 6-3, 2-2 unfinished
Doubles
1. Mandredi Graziani/Aaron Sandler (PENN) def. Michael Zheng/Nicolas Kotzen (COL), 6-4
2. Sachin Palta/Andrew Ena (COL) def. Vojtech Vales/Justin Chung (PENN), 6-1
3. Thanaphat Boosarawongse/Abhishek Thorat (COL) def. Shaurya Bharadwaj/Nischal Spurling (PENN) 7-6
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (4,3,1,2,5,6)
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).
Players Mentioned
Highlights: MTEN | National Championship Highlights
Sunday, November 23
Postgame: MTEN | Michael Zheng on winning the NCAA singles championship
Sunday, November 24
Postgame: MTEN | Michael Zheng on advancing to the singles final at NCAA Championships
Saturday, November 23
Postgame: MTEN | Michael Zheng on advancing to semifinals at NCAA Championships
Friday, November 22











