The top-seeded VCU Rams defeated No. 8 Duquesne in Friday's Atlantic 10 Men's Tennis quarterfinal match, held at the USTA National Campus in Orlando. The Rams got off to a hot start, as the pair of Romain Gales and Mathis Bondaz won 6-1 in third doubles, followed by Matisse Bobichon and Hamza El Amine, who netted a 6-3 victory at court two and the doubles point for VCU. In singles action, the Rams secured first-set wins on each of the courts, setting up Oscar Pinto Sansano for a 6-1, 6-1 decision to take a 2-0 match lead at court three. Hamza El Amine then finished off a straight-set victory at No. 5 singles, before the 4-0 sweep was completed by Romain Gales on court four, winning 6-2, 6-0. With the victory, the Rams will play Saint Louis on Saturday at 9:00 am.
MATCH #3
#1 VCU def. #8 DUQUESNE, 4-0
SINGLES
1. Mathis Bondaz (VCU) vs. Kaipo Marshall (DUQ) 6-0, 2-4, DNF
2. Matisse Bobichon (VCU) vs. Tamirlan Teberikov (DUQ) 6-2, 3-0
3. Oscar Pinto Sansano (VCU) def. Keita Duclos (DUQ) 6-1, 6-1
4. Romain Gales (VCU) def. Alfrendo Vogelaar (DUQ) 6-2, 6-0
5. Hamza El Amine (VCU) def. Jin Dassanayake (DUQ) 6-0, 6-1
6. German Samofalov (VCU) vs. Bode Vance (DUQ) 6-0, 2-3, DNF
Order of Finish: 3, 5, 4
DOUBLES
1. Kaipo Marshall/Tamirlan Teberikov (DUQ) vs. German Samofalov/Oscar Pinto Sansano (VCU) 4-4, DNF
2. Matisse Bobichon/Hamza El Amine (VCU) def. Keita Duclos/Alfrendo Vogelaar (DUQ) 6-3
3. Romain Gales/Mathis Bondaz (VCU) def. Jin Dassanayake/Bode Vance (DUQ) 6-1
Order of Finish: 3, 2
The fourth-seeded Saint Louis Billikens survived a back-and-forth battle with No. 5 George Mason, 4-3, in Friday's Atlantic 10 Men's Tennis quarterfinal matchup. In doubles action, George Mason made quick work of the top two flights, first taking court two behind Jacco Arends and Zavan Fahim, before clinching at No. 1 doubles as Monil Lotlikar and Niza Simunyola won, 6-3 to clinch the point. Lotlikar carried that momentum into No. 1 singles, defeating Ryota Fukushima, 6-1, 6-2, to extend the Patriots' lead to 2-0. The Billikens' Declan Townsend got on the board with a No. 3 singles win, before the match was evened as Theo Ortis won a three-set match at court five. SLU took their first lead of the match on court six with a 7-5, 6-2 victory from Adam Behun. Momin Khan then earned a 7-5, 6-3 victory on court four to knot the team score at 3-3. On court two, Andres Castellanos and Jacco Arends split the first two sets, forcing a thrilling third set. Castellanos pulled out the 8-6 tiebreaker to clinch the final point for the Billikens, sending them into the semifinals, where they will face top-seeded VCU on Saturday at 9:00 am.
MATCH #4
#4 SAINT LOUIS def. #5 GEORGE MASON, 4-3
SINGLES
1. Monil Lotlikar (MASON) def. Ryota Fukushima (SLU) 6-1, 6-2
2. Andres Castellanos (SLU) def. Jacco Arends (MASON) 6-0, 5-7, 7-6(6)
3. Declan Townsend (SLU) def. Niza Simunyola (MASON) 6-4, 6-2
4. Momin Khan (MASON) def. Luca Lo Nardo (SLU) ) 7-5, 6-3
5. Theo Ortis (SLU) def. Zavan Fahim (MASON) 4-6, 6-0, 6-3
6. Adam Behun (SLU) def. Hayden Postin (MASON) 7-5, 6-2
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 5, 6, 4, 2
DOUBLES
1. Monil Lotlikar/Niza Simunyola (MASON) def. Adam Behun/Declan Townsend (SLU) 6-3
2. Jacco Arends/Zavan Fahim (MASON) def. Ryota Fukushima/Theo Ortis (SLU) 6-3
3. Andres Castellanos/Luca Lo Nardo (SLU) vs. Dustin Ha/Momin Khan (MASON) 5-3, DNF
Order of Finish: 2, 1