CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State men's tennis team had an excellent final day at the Viking Invitational, picking up multiple wins throughout the day, including freshman Nico Mostardi claiming the Main Singles Draw crown.
"Overall I thought this was a great first time event, and there was great sportsmanship between all of the teams this weekend which made the event a real joy to host," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "The end of the tournament came down to a lot of matches between Cleveland State and Youngstown State and it was great to see the battle back-and-forth between the two cheering sections throughout all of the matches. It's always great to see a Horizon League opponent during the fall season, and I'm glad that we were able to see some great matches between the two teams."
Mostardi, the top-seeded player At Viking Invitational12-10 Labik of Morgan State, and then he earned a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Yoin the main singles draw, picked up a pair of victories on the final day of action to capture the Viking Invitational Singles Title. The Cleveland native picked up a 6-2, 6-4 win against Erich Marbach of Northern Illinois in the semifinals, and then battled for a 3-6, 6-3, 12-10 victory against Youngstown State's Yossi Dahan in the championship match. Mostardi finished the weekend with a perfect 5-0 singles record.
"It was awesome that our own guy was able to secure the main singles draw, and Nico certainly took a lot of heat throughout the week about being the top seed, but he lived up to his seeding and pulled out some great wins this weekend. Colton and Jack also had a great final day of the tournament, picking up a handful of wins on Sunday to allow the Vikings to close out the weekend on a definite high note," Etzkin said.
Colton Buffington finished the weekend with a 4-1 singles record, capturing the backdraw title after picking up two wins on Sunday. Buffington's semifinal victory came as a 6-4, 6-1 decision over Ondrej Labik of Morgan State, and then he earned a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Youngstown State's Luke Purser in the backdraw championship match.
Freshman Jack Santilli also picked up two singles wins Sunday, earning a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Sagar Sathyanarayanan of Morgan State and a 7-6 (6), 2-6, 10-4 win over Youngstown State's Alonso Lauz.
Mirko Radosevic and Andre Mick picked up Cleveland State's lone doubles victory on the final day of action, posting a 6-3 victory over Youngstown State in the championship match of the doubles backdraw.
Cleveland State's final tournament of the fall season will be the Wake Forest Invitational, which will take place next Friday (November 11) through Sunday (November 13).
Main Singles Draw
Nico Mostardi (CSU) def. Erich Marbach (NIU), 6-2, 6-4
Nico Mostardi (CSU) def. Yossi Dahan (YSU), 3-6, 6-3, 12-10
Consolation Singles Results
Colton Buffington (CSU) def. Ondrej Labik (MSU), 6-2, 6-4
Colton Buffington (CSU) def. Luke Purser (YSU), 6-4, 6-4
Jack Santilli (CSU) def. Sagar Sathyanarayanan (MSU), 6-0, 6-1
Jack Santilli (CSU) def. Alonso Lauz (YSU), 7-6 (6), 2-6, 10-4
Adam Collins (CWRU) def. Mirko Radosevic (CSU), 7-6, 2-6, 10-3
Consolation Doubles Results
Radosevic/Mick (CSU) def. Kritzinger/Purser (YSU), 6-3
Daum/Bendetto (CWRU) def. Mostardi/Buffington (CSU), 7-6 (8)
