CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Three of the top four seeds advanced out of the quarterfinals of the 2023 Southern Conference Men’s Tennis Championship on Thursday, with No. 5 Furman downing No. 4 Samford for the first upset of the tournament. The tournament is being contested at the Champions Club, with the semifinals set for Friday at 10 a.m.
 
No. 1 seed Chattanooga will meet the fifth-seeded Paladins and No. 2 seed Mercer will face No. 3 seed ETSU for the right to advance to Saturday’s title match.
 
No. 1 Chattanooga 4, No. 8 UNCG 1
 
Regular-season champion Chattanooga began its quest for a title sweep with a 4-1 win over eighth-seeded UNCG, but it wasn’t without early drama.
 
After the Mocs claimed a 6-0 win on court three to open doubles play, UNCG knocked off a pair of All-SoCon doubles tandems to take the early 1-0 team lead. The Spartans’ Tymofiy Khrystyuk and Christopher Johns picked up a 7-5 win over first-team All-SoCon pair Simon Labbe and Peyton Gatti at No. 1 and Hampus Johansson and David Flisberg clinched the point with a 7-6 (7-3) win over second-team combo Kerim Hyatt at Kristof Kincses No. 2.
 
The Mocs righted the ship in singles play, with Hyatt downing Khrystyuk 6-2, 6-3 to pull UTC level. Courtland Grove topped Andrew Black at No. 6 by a 6-3, 6-1 score to put Chattanooga ahead, and Labbe followed with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Flisberg to make it 2-1.
 
Ryan Mudre put the Mocs on the brink of the win with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 win over Devon Moskowitz at No. 5, and Gabriel Castillo, who earned a doubles win at No. 3, clinched the match with his 6-3, 6-4 win over John Gabelic at No.3 singles.
 
Singles competition
1. Kerim Hyatt (UTC) def. Tymofiy Khrystyuk (UNCG) 6-2, 6-3
2. Simon Labbe (UTC) def. David Flisberg (UNCG) 6-3, 6-2
3. Gabriel Castillo (UTC) def. John Gabelic (UNCG) 6-3, 6-4
4. Peyton Gatti (UTC) vs. Christopher Johns (UNCG) 4-6, 6-0, 4-1, unfinished
5. Ryan Mudre (UTC) def. Devon Moskowitz (UNCG) 7-6 (7-3), 6-3
6. Cortland Grove (UTC) def. Andrew Black (UNCG) 6-3, 6-1
 
Doubles competition
1. Tymofiy Khrystyuk/Christopher Johns (UNCG) def. Simon Labbe/Peyton Gatti (UTC) 7-5
2. Hampus Johansson/David Flisberg (UNCG) def. Kerim Hyatt/Kristof Kincses (UTC) 7-6 (7-3)
3. Gabriel Castillo/Cortland Grove (UTC) def. John Gabelic/Andrew Black (UNCG) 6-0
 
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (1,6,2,5,3)
 
*****
 
No. 5 Furman 4, No. 4 Samford 1
 
No. 5 seed Furman reached the semifinals for the ninth straight tournament with its 4-1 win over No. 4 seed Samford.
 
The Paladins started by winning the doubles point, getting a quick 6-0 win from Thomas Kennedy at Elijah Poritzky No. 1 before Samford evened things up with J.B. Pickard and Santiago Arredondo’s 6-1 win at No. 2. Furman clinched the point when Jerry Barton and Alex Han gutted out a 7-6 (7-5) win over Yerrassyl Murat and Harrison Williams at No. 3.
 
Singles play saw SoCon Freshman of the Year Jerry Barton claim a 6-3, 6-0 win over Mohammed Ali Bellalouna at No. 1 singles before Emil Westling made it 3-0 Furman with his 6-4, 6-1 win over Pickard at No. 3.
 
Sandeep Mohandoss got the Bulldogs on the board with his 6-2, 6-3 win over Poritzky at No. 2, but Furman’s Thomas Kennedy clinched the match with his 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 win over fellow All-Freshman Team selection Darcy Nicholls at No. 4.
 
Singles competition
1. Jerry Barton (FUR) def. M. Ali Bellalouna (SAM) 6-3, 6-0
2. Sandeep Mohandoss (SAM) def. Elijah Poritzky (FUR) 6-2, 6-3
3. Emil Westling (FUR) def. J.B. Pickard (SAM) 6-4, 6-1
4. Thomas Kennedy (FUR) def. Darcy Nicholls (SAM) 7-6 (7-4), 6-4
5. Santiago Arredondo (SAM) vs. Connor Laymon (FUR) 4-6, 6-4, unfinished
6. Martin Schwartzman (SAM) vs. John Rado (FUR) 5-7, 1-4, unfinished
 
Doubles competition
1. Thomas Kennedy/Elijah Poritzky (FUR) def. M. Ali Bellalouna/Sandeep Mohandoss (SAM) 6-0
2. J.B. Pickard/Santiago Arredondo (SAM) def. Ben Cahill/Emil Westling (FUR) 6-1
3. Jerry Barton/Alex Han (FUR) def. Yerrassyl Murat/Harrison Williams (SAM) 7-6 (7-5)
 
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (1,3,2,4)

*****
 
No. 3 ETSU 4, No. 6 The Citadel 0
 
Four-time defending champion ETSU began its quest for a fifth straight title with a 4-0 win over The Citadel.
 
After The Citadel’s first-team All-SoCon pair of Hayden Shoemake and Sebastian Kamieniecki earned a 6-2 win at No. 1 doubles, ETSU saw SoCon Player of the Year Dimitri Badra and Juan Lombisano knot things with a 6-3 win at No. 3. Thiago Pernas and Francisco Lamas clinched the point for the Bucs with a 7-5 win at No. 2.
 
In singles play, Lamas quickly made it 2-0 for ETSU with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Noah Van Dyke. Pernas made it 3-0 with his 6-3, 6-2 win over Zvonko Bencedic at No. 2 and James Sim clinched the match with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Ted Bagwell at No. 5.
 
The Bucs have now reached the semifinals every year since returning to the league in 2015 and in each of their last 14 appearances in the tournament.
 
Singles competition
1. Dimitri Badra (ETSU) vs. Hayden Shoemake (CIT) 6-2, 5-0, unfinished
2. Thiago Pernas (ETSU) def. Zvonko Bencedic (CIT) 6-3, 6-2
3. Adam Nagoudi (ETSU) vs. Lucas Robins (CIT) 6-3, 3-2, unfinished
4. Pedro Cressoni (ETSU) vs. S. Kamieniecki (CIT) 6-4, 3-2, unfinished
5. James Sim (ETSU) def. Ted Bagwell (CIT) 6-1, 6-1
6. Francisco Lamas (ETSU) def. Noah Van Dyke (CIT) 6-1, 6-2
 
Doubles competition
1. Hayden Shoemake/S. Kamieniecki (CIT) def. Peter Kalocsai/Adam Nagoudi (ETSU) 6-2
2. Thiago Pernas/Francisco Lamas (ETSU) def. Zvonko Bencedic/Ted Bagwell (CIT) 7-5
3. Dimitri Badra/Juan Lombisano (ETSU) def. Lucas Robins/Noah Van Dyke (CIT) 6-3
 
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (6,2,5)
 
*****
 
No. 2 Mercer 4, No. 7 Wofford 1
 
Second-seeded Mercer topped No. 7 seed Wofford by a 4-1 count.
 
The Bears picked up doubles wins at Nos. 2 and 3 to clinch the point, with Nemanja Stefanovic and Marceau Foulihoux claiming a 6-2 win on court three and Samuel Barrow and Mariano Argote winning 6-3 on court two to send Mercer into singles play with a 1-0 advantage.
 
Wofford evened the score with Will Fullett’s 6-1, 6-3 win over Foulihoux at No. 4, but Samuel MacLeod put the Bears on top to stay with his 6-4, 6-0 win over Alex Horn at No. 5. Lucas Dini followed with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Callum Rendle at No. 2 and Mariano Argote clinched the match with his 6-1, 6-3 win over Ashe Ray at No. 1.
 
Mercer has now appeared in the semifinals in five of the last six SoCon tournaments.
 
Singles competition
1. Mariano Argote (MER) def. Ashe Ray (WOF) 6-1, 6-3
2. Lucas Dini (MER) def. Callum Rendle (WOF) 6-1, 6-2
3. Nemanja Stefanovic (MER) vs. Robbie Young (WOF) 7-5, 1-0, unfinished
4. Will Fullett (WOF) def. Marceau Foulihoux (MER) 6-1, 6-3
5. Samuel MacLeod (MER) def. Alex Horn (WOF) 6-4, 6-0
6. Samuel Barrow (MER) vs. Ian Rasheed (WOF) 6-3, 3-6, 2-1, unfinished
 
Doubles competition
1. Lucas Dini/Samuel MacLeod (MER) vs. Will Fullett/Ian Rasheed (WOF) 3-5, unfinished
2. Samuel Barrow/Mariano Argote (MER) def. Robbie Young/Alex Horn (WOF) 6-3
3. Nemanja Stefanovic/Marceau Foulihoux (MER) def. Ashe Ray/Max Graham (WOF) 6-2
 
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (4,5,2,1)
 
*****
 
SoCon Men’s Tennis Championship
Chattanooga, Tenn. – Champions Club
Thursday, April 20
Match 1: No. 1 Chattanooga 5, No. 8 UNCG 1
Match 2: No. 5 Furman 4, No. 4 Samford 1
Match 3: No. 3 ETSU 4, No. 6 The Citadel 0
Match 4: No. 2 Mercer 4, No. 7 Wofford 1
 
Friday, April 21
Match 5: No. 1 Chattanooga vs. No. 5 Furman, 10 a.m.
Match 6: No. 3 ETSU vs. No. 2 Mercer, 10 a.m.
 
Saturday, April 22
Match 7: Match 5 winner vs. Match 6 winner, 1 p.m.