Women’s Tennis Falls to No. 58 Yale

Coming straight off a win against Brown (15-7, 2-3 Ivy) at home on Friday, Harvard women’s tennis (11-9, 1-4) was unable to keep up its momentum and fell to No. 58 Yale (17-3, 4-1) 4-1 in New Haven, Conn., on Sunday.

The loss continues a tough Ancient Eight campaign for a team that entered the conference season as the undefeated reigning champions.

However, the match against the Bulldogs began on a strong note for the Crimson, which earned the doubles points through wins on courts two and three.

Following a loss at the first doubles spot by junior Kate Kim and freshman Claire Shao to Yale’s No. 79 duo of freshman Leena Friedman and junior Orli Olgilvy, Harvard’s team on court two, junior Natalie Block and sophomore Natasha Rajaram, sailed to a 6-3 win over sophomores Angela Huang and Julia Werdiger.

Freshman Andra Braicu and junior Kavya Karra rounded out the doubles play with a 6-2 victory of their own, making the first point on the board one for the Crimson.

Junior captain Stephanie Yakoff, who typically plays doubles with Karra and singles at the top of the ladder, was notably absent from the Crimson’s lineup this weekend due to an injury. Charlotte Owensby, the other captain and only senior on Harvard’s roster, has also been unable to compete this spring because of an injury. This means the Crimson was not only shorthanded but also lacking two of its most accomplished and experienced players.

“Back-to-back Ivy matches are never easy, especially on the road and a little shorthanded,” head coach Traci Green wrote after the match.

Harvard was therefore forced to compete with an adjusted lineup that resulted in more competitive matches for all of its healthy players.

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, responded to their initial point deficit with a vengeance that translated into increased aggression during singles matches.

On court three, sophomore Anna-Raphaelle Serghi was quickly defeated by Yale’s junior Shyla Aggarwal in straight sets, 6-2, 6-0. The dropped match enabled the Bulldogs to even the overall score.

On courts one, two, four, five, and six, Karra, Shao, Kim, Block, and Braicu, respectively, all played in tightly competitive three-set matches.

Shao, Kim, and Braicu all dropped their first sets before flipping the momentum in the second. Unfortunately for the Crimson, which looked to upset its rival on the road, the three players each ultimately lost their final sets.

Karra and Block, playing at the first and fifth spots, respectively, were still engaged in their third sets against their opponents at the match’s conclusion.

The Crimson finished out the match with just one point to Yale’s four, with singles play being the main contributor to the difficult loss. Last season, the score was reversed, as Harvard took down the Bulldogs 4-1 in Cambridge, Mass.

“This group has real depth, and the progress over the past few months has been clear. I’m excited for our final Ivy weekend and what’s ahead as we keep building together,” Green wrote.

The Crimson will finish out its 2026 campaign playing at home against No. 61 Columbia (14-4, 4-1) and Cornell (7-11, 4-3) this upcoming weekend.

—Staff writer Bianca M. Egan can be reached at [email protected].