The Cleveland State men's tennis team kicked off the 2018 fall campaign Thursday, with Nico Mostardi taking part in the Oracle ITA Masters and Luke Phillips and Matthew Terry competing in the Milwaukee Tennis Classic.
Oracle ITA Masters | Malibu, Calif.
Nico Mostardi dropped his first round match at the Oracle ITA Masters Thursday, falling in a 6-2, 6-3 decision to Aziz Kijametovic – the reigning C-USA Player of the Year from Old Dominion. Entering the 2018-19 season, Kijametovic was ranked in the top-80, while he helped guide ODU to a top-25 team ranking last season.
Mostardi also teamed up with Northern Kentucky's Margita Sunjic for the mixed doubles draw, with the duo dropping a 6-4 match against Virginia Tech's Mitch Harper and Miami's Estela Perez-Somarriba.
Mostardi will now compete in the consolation draw, beginning with a first round match against Northern Arizona's Tim Handel tomorrow.
Updated Draws | Main Draw Singles | Consolation Singles | Mixed Doubles
From The Sideline
"The difference between a win and a loss at this level is very small, and I felt like we had some opportunities today but weren't able to take advantage of them. The good thing is that any win at this tournament is a good win, and we get another match tomorrow. If we improve on a couple of small things, we will give ourselves a chance to win the next one and look to get on a run." - head coach Brian Etzkin
Main Draw Singles
Aziz Kijametovic (ODU) def. Nico Mostardi (CSU), 6-2, 6-3
Main Draw Mixed Doubles
Harper/Perez-Somarriba def. Mostardi/Sunjic, 6-4
Milwaukee Tennis Classic | Milwaukee, Wis.
Luke Phillips and Matthew Terry both opened the Milwaukee Tennis Classic with first round singles matches Thursday, Phillips dropping a 6-4, 7-5 decision to San Diego's Joel Gamerov, and Terry falling to Luca Wiedenmann from Tennessee, 6-2, 6-1.
Both opponents for the Vikings were coming off of 20-win campaigns, and were also integral parts of NCAA Tournament teams last season.
After starting singles action late Thursday morning due to rain in the area, the first round of the doubles draw was postponed until Friday, with Phillips and Terry set to take on the Notre Dame duo of William Howells and Matt Gamble at 9:00 a.m. EST.
Phillips and Terry will also compete in the consolation draw tomorrow, beginning with a first round match following doubles action.
Updated Draws | Main Draw Singles | Consolation Singles | Main Draw Doubles
Main Draw Singles
Joel Gamerov (USD) def. Luke Phillips (CSU), 6-4, 7-5
Luca Wiedenmann (UT) def. Matthew Terry (CSU), 6-2, 6-1