CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Top-seeded ETSU downed No. 3 seed Samford 4-0 Saturday in the title match of the 2022 Southern Conference Men's Tennis Championship at the Champions Club. The title was ETSU’s fourth straight.
 
The 69th-ranked Bucs claimed the SoCon’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championship and will learn their postseason destination on Monday, May 2, at 6 p.m. ET via NCAA.com.
 
Thiago Pernas was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after going 3-0 in both singles and doubles over the three-day tournament.
 
Pernas and Yusuf Khamis swung momentum the Bucs’ way early, as the duo earned a 7-5 win at No. 3 doubles to clinch the point. SoCon Player of the Year Dimitri Badra and Francisco Lamas earned a 6-2 win at No. 2 singles before Samford’s top pair, Mohammed Ali Bellalouna and J.B. Pickard, grabbed a 6-3 win to level the score at 1.
 
Once the Bucs clinched the doubles point, the singles wins quickly followed. Frazier Rengifo earned a 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 3 to make it 2-0 before Pernas closed out a 6-3, 6-3 victory at No. 5 to put ETSU on the verge of victory.
 
Lamas clinched the title at No. 6, cruising to a 6-0 win in the first set and winning the second in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-4).
 
Three matches were abandoned, with ETSU leading all three. At No. 1, Badra was ahead 6-4, 4-4, while Khamis was leading 6-4, 4-3 at No. 2. Juan Sebastian Zabala had just won his first set at No. 4 by a 7-6 (7-5) count.
 
In addition to clinching the match and the tournament title, Lamas earned the Pinnacle Award, which honors the player with the highest cumulative GPA on the championship-winning team.
 
 Singles competition
1. Dimitri Badra (ETSU) vs. M. Ali Bellalouna (SAM) 6-4, 4-4, unfinished
2. Yusuf Khamis (ETSU) vs. Jim Hendrikx (SAM) 6-4, 4-3, unfinished
3. Frazier Rengifo (ETSU) def. Eladio Fabregas (SAM) 6-2, 6-3
4. Juan S. Zabala (ETSU) vs. Yerrassyl Murat (SAM) 7-6 (7-5), unfinished
5. Thiago Pernas (ETSU) def. J.B. Pickard (SAM) 6-3, 6-3
6. Francisco Lamas (ETSU) def. Harrison Williams (SAM) 6-0, 7-6 (7-4)
 
 Doubles competition
1. M. Ali Bellalouna/J.B. Pickard (SAM) def. Frazier Rengifo/Juan S. Zabala (ETSU) 6-3
2. Dimitri Badra/Francisco Lamas (ETSU) def. Yerrassyl Murat/Harrison Williams (SAM) 6-2
3. Yusuf Khamis/Thiago Pernas (ETSU) def. Eladio Fabregas/Matthew Gooch (SAM) 7-5
 
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (3,5,6)
 
*****
 
SoCon Men’s Tennis Championship
Chattanooga, Tenn. – Champions Club
Thursday, April 21
Match 1: No. 1 ETSU 4, No. 8 The Citadel 0
Match 2: No. 4 Chattanooga 4, No. 5 Wofford 1
Match 3: No. 3 Samford 4, No. 6 UNCG 3
Match 4: No. 2 Furman 4, No. 7 Mercer 1
 
Friday, April 22
Match 5: No. 1 ETSU 4, No. 4 Chattanooga 0
Match 6: No. 3 Samford 4, No. 2 Furman 2
 
Saturday, April 23
Match 7: No. 1 ETSU 4, No. 3 Samford 0