University of Illinois
Harvard Chowderfest
Fighting Illini Record Nine Wins at 2026 Harvard Chowderfest
September 20, 2026 | Men's Tennis
RECAP
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Fighting Illini saw four student-athletes combine for nine total wins across three days of competition at the 2026 Harvard Chowderfest from Sept. 18-20.
David Bakonyi, Jon Gamble, Nicholas Mekhael, and Colson Wells took part in both singles and doubles play during their time in Cambridge, Mass.
Gamble and Mekhael both picked up their first collegiate wins on Friday. Gamble tallied a 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Cornell's Felipe Pinzon, while Mekhael posted a 6-4, 6-4 effort against Greg Bernadsky on Friday. Mekhael ultimately went 2-1 on the singles courts, also notching a three-set triumph against Dartmouth's Kornel Halmos, 7-5, 5-7, 6-3, on Saturday.
Bakonyi secured a singles win on Sunday with his 6-1, 4-6, 10-2 outing against Cornell's Nathan Gold.
On the doubles courts, Bakonyi and Wells went 3-0, while Gamble and Mekhael recorded a 2-1 mark. Bakonyi/Wells started the weekend with a 6-4 win over Cornell's Pinzon/Casciato on Friday before taking down SMU's Flores/Markovic in a 6-3 victory on Saturday. The pair then closed the weekend with a strong 6-0 showing against Cornell's Pinzon/Bernadsky.
Gamble and Mekhael dropped a narrow 7-6(8) effort against a ranked opponent in their first collegiate doubles match before bouncing back with two wins to close the week. They teamed up to defeat Yale's Liao/Ji, 7-6(6), on Saturday before claiming a 6-3 triumph against Pinzon/Bernadsky on Sunday.
RESULTS
Friday, Sept. 18
Singles
Jon Gamble (Illinois) def. Felipe Pinzon (Cornell), 6-3, 6-2
Tej Baghra (Brown) def. Colson Wells (Illinois), 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
Nicholas Mekhael (Illinois) def. Greg Bernadsky (Cornell), 6-4, 6-4
Rushil Khosla (Cornell) def. David Bakonyi (Illinois), 6-2, 6-7(1), 7-5
Doubles
#67 Rethin Pranav Senthil Kumar/Rushil Khosla (Cornell) def. Jon Gamble/Nicholas Mekhael (Illinois), 7-6(8)
David Bakonyi/Colson Wells (Illinois) def. Felipe Pinzon/Jack Casciato (Cornell), 6-4
Saturday, Sept. 19
Singles
Edward Liao (Yale) def. Jon Gamble (Illinois), 6-3, 6-2
Luis Flores (SMU) def. Colson Wells (Illinois), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
Nicholas Mekhael (Illinois) def. Kornel Halmos (Dartmouth), 7-5, 5-7, 6-3
Elliot Wasserman (Brown) def. David Bakonyi (Illinois), 6-0, 6-2
Doubles
Jon Gamble/Nicholas Mekhael (Illinois) def. Edward Liao/Jim Ji (Yale), 7-6(6)
Colson Wells/David Bakonyi (Illinois) def. Luis Flores/Sasa Markovic (SMU), 6-3
Sunday, Sept. 20
Singles
Rethin Pranav Senthil Kumar (Cornell) def. Jon Gamble (Illinois), 6-4, 3-6, 11-9
Greg Bernadsky (Cornell) def. Colson Wells (Illinois), 6-4, 3-6, 10-7
Thomás Brandão (Virginia Tech) def. Nicholas Mekhael (Illinois), 6-2, 4-6, 10-4
David Bakonyi (Illinois) def. Nathan Gold (Cornell), 6-1, 4-6, 10-2
Doubles
Jon Gamble/Nicholas Mekhael (Illinois) def. Felipe Pinzon/Greg Bernadsky (Cornell), 6-3
David Bakonyi/Colson Wells (Illinois) def. Nathan Gold/Jack Casciato (Cornell), 6-0
UP NEXT
The Illini continue competition at the ITA All-American Championships, which runs through Sept. 27, while they will also compete in the Fighting Irish Mini Duals on Sept. 25-27 in South Bend, Ind.
