ITHACA, N.Y. — Cornell men’s tennis sophomore Rethin Pranav Senthil Kumar is one win from an NCAA singles berth. The No. 5 seed beat Boise State’s Arsene Pougault, 6-4, 7-5, Friday morning to reach the quarterfinals at the ITA Conference Masters in Rome, Ga.
Senthil Kumar has won seven straight matches, all in straight sets, and will look to extend his streak when he faces Wake Forest’s Luca Pow in the quarterfinals Saturday, Nov. 7, at 10 a.m.
Pow, the No. 2 seed and No. 19 in the ITA rankings, beat Davidson’s Gregorio Hidalgo, 6-2, 6-4, in the round of 16 after topping Howard’s Michael Major, 6-2, 6-1, in the round of 32.
A win would put Senthil Kumar in the semifinals and earn him a spot with junior Rodrigo Fernandes in the singles draw at the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships, set for Nov. 17-22 at Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga. Senthil Kumar has already qualified in doubles with junior Rushil Khosla.
At the ITA East Sectional Championship in Charlottesville, Va., freshman Cezar Papoe withdrew from his consolation match against NC State’s William Manning, ending his tournament.
