Coming off its third straight appearance in the NCAA Men's Tennis Tournament, Cornell faced considerable uncertainty entering the 2025-26 season, losing four of six starters.
Turns out the transition wasn't as difficult as many expected. The Big Red, featuring just two seniors and a core of young talent, won the Ivy League title on April 25, edging rival Columbia, 4-3 - the third league title in program history.
The win earned Cornell, ranked 29th nationally, a fourth straight berth in the NCAA tournament. The Red will play 38th-ranked Arkansas (16-14) on May 1 at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas - the same venue, and same stage of the tournament, in which the Big Red defeated the Razorbacks in 2024.
Fernandes celebrates winning a point.
"We knew coming into the year that there was an opportunity for development," said Silviu Tanasoiu, the Savitt-Weiss Head Coach of Men's Tennis. "We weren't sure how the guys would respond to our vision. But they have responded in the best way possible."
The win over Columbia, at Cornell's Reis Tennis Center, lifted the Big Red to an 18-3 overall record, with wins over strong programs such as Purdue, Louisville and Pennsylvania. The team last won the Ivy title in 2017, also under Tanasoiu.
Tanasoiu credits the leadership of his veteran players, particularly captain Aman Sharma '26, for this season's success.
"Aman has been a phenomenal example both on and off the court," Tanasoiu said. "He's nudged the players in the right direction in every conversation he's had with them."
Sharma, who features at fourth singles this season, said losing four seniors prompted the team to enter this year with a fresh mindset.
"Everyone bought into the process of improving and listening," said Sharma, a real estate and finance major in the Nolan School of Hotel Administration in the SC Johnson College of Business, from Locust Valley, New York. "We all improved physically as tennis players but also mentally with our self-awareness."
Among the group of improved underclassmen is Rodrigo Fernandes '28. The engineering major in the Cornell Duffield College of Engineering, from Portugal, stepped into the No. 1 singles and doubles spots for the Big Red and has delivered consistently, finishing the regular season with a record of 23-10.
"Rodrigo is about as special as it gets," Tanasoiu said. "For him to take the top spot in both singles and doubles while majoring in engineering, he's just an outstanding young man."
Eric Verdes '27 prepares to hit a shot during his match at No. 2 singles during the Big Red's 4-3 victory over Columbia.
But the biggest win was the Ivy League-clinching victory over Columbia's Michael Zheng, a two-time NCAA singles champion considered by many to be one of the best college tennis players ever. Fernandes outlasted Zheng, 7-6, (4) 6-7 (5), 6-3.
"I played [Zheng] two months ago so I knew what to expect," Fernandes said. "I knew what I had to do to be able to beat him. I had to be focused on every single point."
The growth of the Cornell men's program has accelerated rapidly under Tanasoiu's stewardship. Now in his 15th season, the Romanian-born coach and former University of Oklahoma standout has built a consistent winner: The Big Red has finished below .500 only once under Tanasoiu.
"My mission was to create a community and create a culture where the players felt they were playing for something much bigger than themselves," he said, "and to find players who pursued excellence both on the court and with academics."
He's thankful for the support the program also receives from alumni, who have dedicated time and considerable resources in developing a network that works for the players, both during their years in Ithaca and beyond.
"We've built a program here that we can all be very proud of," he said.
Cornell and Arkansas will meet at 3 p.m. EDT on May 1; second-ranked TCU (21-5) and the University of Denver (18-5) meet at 6 in the other first-round match. The winners will meet at 5 p.m. May 2, with that winner advancing to the super-regionals, May 8-9.
