WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Cleveland State men's tennis team picked up its first title of the fall season Saturday, with Nico Mostardi and Luke Phillips capturing the Flight A Doubles Title at the Purdue Fall Invitational.
After winning two matches yesterday, Mostardi and Phillips came back to pick up another two wins Saturday, earning a 6-4 victory over Ball State in the semifinals and a 7-6 (5) win over Washington University in the championship match.
"This was a good day for us, one of our goals as a team this year is to 'win the day' and I definitely thought we did that in singles and doubles combined," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "It was awesome to see Nico and Luke win their doubles draw, they were playing really well together and kept getting better as the day went on, playing their best tennis at the end of the day."
The Cleveland State duo of Matthew Terry and Jack Santilli also picked up a doubles win on the day, earning a 6-4 victory over Washington University in a back draw match.
"The 'Backdraw Bandits' of Matthew and Jack also gave us a doubles win on the day, as we went 3-0 in doubles action. A large part of our success came from the great team spirit that we had – everyone was cheering each other on and we all wanted everyone to succeed. That is a quality that will lead to great things with this team as we move through the fall and spring season," Etzkin said.
In singles play, freshman Matthew Terry led the way for the Vikings, as he picked up a pair of wins to earn a spot in the Flight A championship match tomorrow. After picking up a first round win yesterday, Terry posted a 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 three-set victory over Andreas Boers of Illinois State in the second round and then earned a 6-1, 7-6 (8) victory over Marquette's Alvaro Verdu in his semifinal contest.
"I was very pleased with Matthew's play today, he definitely showed some resilience in both of his matches and focused on his game plan to pick up a pair of wins. This is a great example of what is to come for him this season, and I can't wait for him to get back on the court tomorrow morning," Etzkin said.
Terry will now face Nemanja Guzina of Ball State at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow in the championship match.
Also picking up singles wins for the Vikings on Saturday were Mostardi, Phillips, Benjamin Slade, and William Malm – all of which came in consolation matches.
Play at the Purdue Fall Invitational will wrap up tomorrow (Sunday, September 17), with the final round of singles action beginning at 9:00 a.m.
Saturday Singles Results
Flight A – Main Draw
Matthew Terry (CSU) def. Andreas Boers (ISU), 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
Matthew Terry (CSU) def. Alvaro Verdu (MARQ) 6-1, 7-6 (8)
Flight A – Back Draw
Nico Mostardi (CSU) def. Dan Wright (BUCK), 6-4, 6-2
Luke Smerk (MARQ) def. Nico Mostardi (CSU), 6-2, 5-7, 7-5
Flight B – Main Draw
Michael Dickson (BUT) def. Luke Phillips (CSU), 6-2, 6-2
Luke Phillips (CSU) def. Christopher Greve (ISU), 7-5, 6-4
Flight B – Back Draw
Benjamin Slade (CSU) def. Manuel Bernhard (ISU), 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-4
Thibault De Negri (BSU) def. Benjamin Slade (CSU), 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
Flight D – Main Draw
Bryce Bonin (BSU) def. Jack Santilli (CSU), 6-1, 7-6 (2)
Flight D – Back Draw
William Malm (CSU) def. Furman Siddiki (IUPUI), 6-2, 2-6, 6-1
Robin Engel (WASHU) def. William Malm (CSU), 7-5, 7-6 (5)
Saturday Doubles Results
Flight A – Main Draw
Mostardi/Phillips (CSU) def. Guzina/De Negri (BSU), 6-4
Mostardi/Phillips (CSU) def. Haugen/Kozlowski (WASHU), 7-6 (5)
Flight B – Back Draw
Terry/Santilli (CSU) def. Neves/Vishrubhotia (WASHU), 6-4
