SINGLES QUALIFYING DRAW | SINGLES MAIN DRAW | DOUBLES MAIN DRAW
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Cleveland State men's tennis team continued play at the ITA Midwest Regional Friday, with the doubles team of Manuel Bellutti and Mirko Radosevic serving as the only Viking team still alive in the main draws.
Manuel Bellutti and Mirko Radosevic - one of three Viking tandems that earned a spot in the main doubles draw - picked up an 8-5 victory in their opening round match against a duo from Northern Illinois. Entering the regional, Bellutti and Radosevic had never played together as a doubles team, but due to injuries in the lineup the duo was formed. They will now face an Ohio State duo – a team that was seeded 10th in the regional bracket.
"Manuel and Mirko played a great doubles match today, even though they are a new team for us, they were able to play at a high level and get the win," head coach Brian Etzkin said.
In singles action, Ali Shabib became the first Viking to advance to the Main Singles Draw after winning three straight matches in the Qualifying Singles Bracket. In his final match of the qualifying draw, Shabib earned a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Jorge Gonzalez Soler of Green Bay Friday morning. Shabib then fell to Eddy Covalschi of Notre Dame, 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the opening round of the Main Singles Draw.
"Ali was highly motivated to lead the team this weekend, and that was evident with his play in the qualifying singles bracket," Etzkin said. "I am really proud of the way he played and the run he made to get into the main singles draw. He is definitely on his way to having a great year for us, and it is encouraging to see him going head-to-head with some of the top players in the region."
Joe VanMeter – the lone Viking to earn an automatic spot in the Main Singles draw – dropped a hard-fought three-set match in his opening round contest. VanMeter was able to pick up a 7-6 (3) victory in the first set, before dropping the next two – 6-4, 7-5 – against Alex Lawson of Notre Dame.
"Despite the loss, this was one of The Heater's (Joe) best matches of his career. He has transformed so much as a player since his freshman year and people are really noticing. He was able to push his match deep into the third set today, which was exciting to watch and encouraging for what is to come this spring," Etzkin said.
Cleveland State's doubles team of Bellutti and Radosevic will take the court around 2:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon, with two rounds of doubles scheduled to be played.
Qualifying Singles Draw Third Round
Ali Shabib (CSU) def. Jorge Gonzalez Soler (GB), 7-5, 6-3
Main Singles Draw First Round
Eddy Covalschi (ND) def. Ali Shabib (CSU), 6-3, 7-6 (4)
Alex Lawson (ND) def. Joe VanMeter (CSU), 6-7 (3), 6-4, 7-5
Main Doubles Draw First Round
Lloveras/Theodore (UIC) def. Buffington/Shabib (CSU), 8-3
Radosevic/Bellutti (CSU) def. Cadieux/Fromont (NIU), 8-5
Fernendez/Tehrani (MAR) def. VanMeter/van der Vloet (CSU), 8-3
