May 15, 1999

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The 30th-ranked Notre Dame men’s tennis team fell to 20th-ranked Harvard 4-2 in the NCAA first round on Saturday in Terre Haute, Ind. With the loss the Irish end the season with a 17-8 record. Harvard improves to 21-4 and will face 15th-seeded Baylor on Sunday in the second round. In a showcase of two of the top players in the country, Harvard’s top-ranked James Blake edged Notre Dame’s third-ranked junior Ryan Sachire 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 at No. 1 singles.

The Crimson went ahead 1-0 by winning the doubles point with victories at Nos. 1 and 2 doubles. Harvard’s third-ranked team of Blake and Kunj Majmudar beat Sachire and Brian Patterson 8-6 at No. 1 doubles. Notre Dame’s Matt Daly and Casey Smith beat Mike Passarella and Andrew Styperek 8-4 at No. 3 doubles. The Crimson’s Scott Clark and Joe Green claimed the deciding match 8-6 over Trent Miller and Javier Taborga at No. 2 doubles.

Harvard then used wins at Nos. 1, 4 and 6 to advance to the second round. Passarella beat Irish senior Andy Warford 6-4, 6-1 at No. 6 singles, while Joe Green won the deciding match at No. 4 singles by beating Notre Dame freshman Andrew Laflin 6-3, 7-5. The Blake-Sachire match was a rematch of the final of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American Championships, the second leg of the ITA collegiate grand slam. Blake won that match 6-3, 7-6 (7-2) in October in winning the first of his two grand slams this season.

Notre Dame picked up wins at Nos. 3 and 5 singles. Daly beat 48th-ranked Majmudar 6-3, 6-4 at No. 3 singles to beat the highest ranked opponent of his career. Smith beat Clark 6-4, 6-0 for Notre Dame’s other point.

#20 HARVARD 4, #30 NOTRE DAME 2

NCAA First Round

Singles

No. 1: #1 James Blake (H) def. #3 Ryan Sachire (ND)    6-4, 3-6, 6-3No. 2: #100 Brian Patterson (ND) vs. John Doran (H)        abandonedNo. 3: Matt Daly (ND) def. #48 Kunj Majmudar (H)            6-3, 6-4No. 4: Joe Green (H) def. Andrew Laflin (ND)                6-3, 7-5No. 5: Casey Smith (ND) def. Scott Clark (H)                6-4, 6-0No. 6: Mike Passarella (H) def. Andy Warford (ND)           6-4, 6-1

Doubles

No. 1: #3 Blake/Majmudar (H) def. Patterson/Sachire (ND)        8-6No. 2: Clark/Green (H) def. Trent Miller/Javier Taborga (ND)    8-6No. 3: Daly/Smith (ND) def. Passarella/Andrew Styperek (H)      8-4