CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – No. 3 seed ETSU downed No. 1 seed Chattanooga 4-0 Saturday in the title match of the 2023 Southern Conference Men’s Tennis Championship at the Champions Club in Chattanooga, Tennessee, for its fifth consecutive title.
 
Redshirt junior Dimitri Badra was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament after going 2-0 at No. 1 singles and 3-0 at No. 3 doubles over the three-day event.
 
The Bucs (12-13) opened up by winning the doubles point for the third time in the tournament, with Peter Kalocsai and Adam Nagoudi cruising to a 6-2 win at No. 1 and Badra and Juan Lombisano clinching the point at No. 3 with their 6-3 win.
 
Chattanooga’s Kerim Hyatt and Kristof Kincses led 5-4 at No. 2 when the match was abandoned.
 
In singles play, ETSU’s Francisco Lamas got on the board first with his 6-3, 6-2 win over Cortland Grove at No. 6. Badra, the three-time defending SoCon Player of the Year, made it a 3-0 match with his 6-3, 6-2 win over Hyatt at No. 1 and Thiago Pernas clinched the title with his 6-2, 6-3 win over Simon Labbe at No. 2.
 
ETSU was leading on courts four and five when the match was abandoned, with Pedro Cressoni up 6-2, 5-6 on Peyton Gatti at No. 4 and James Sim leading 6-4, 4-2 at No. 5.
 
Chattanooga’s Gabriel Castillo was leading Nagoudi at No. 3, 7-5, 3-0, when the match was abandoned.
 
Chattanooga, which won its first-ever SoCon regular-season championship this year with a 6-1 league mark, finished its season with an 18-7 overall record. The Mocs were in the title match for the first time since 2006 and were seeking their first tournament title since 2000.
 
ETSU’s Lamas, a sport management major, won the Pinnacle Award as the student-athlete with the highest GPA on the championship-winning team. Lamas sports a 3.76 GPA.
 
The Bucs, who earned the SoCon’s automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Championships, will learn their postseason opponent on Monday, May 1, with an announcement on NCAA.com at 6:30 p.m.
 
Singles competition
1. Dimitri Badra (ETSU) def. Kerim Hyatt (UTC) 6-3, 6-2
2. Thiago Pernas (ETSU) def. Simon Labbe (UTC) 6-2, 6-3
3. Gabriel Castillo (UTC) vs. Adam Nagoudi (ETSU) 7-5, 3-0, unfinished
4. Peyton Gatti (UTC) vs. Pedro Cressoni (ETSU) 2-6, 6-5, unfinished
5. Ryan Mudre (UTC) vs. James Sim (ETSU) 4-6, 2-4, unfinished
6. Francisco Lamas (ETSU) def. Cortland Grove (UTC) 6-3, 6-2
 
Doubles competition
1. Peter Kalocsai/Adam Nagoudi (ETSU) def. Simon Labbe/Peyton Gatti (UTC) 6-2
2. Kerim Hyatt/Kristof Kincses (UTC) vs. Thiago Pernas/Francisco Lamas (ETSU) 5-4, unfinished
3. Dimitri Badra/Juan Lombisano (ETSU) def. Gabriel Castillo/Cortland Grove (UTC) 6-3
 
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (6,1,2)
 
*****
 
Most Outstanding Player
Dimitri Badra, ETSU
 
Pinnacle Award (highest GPA on championship-winning team)
Francisco Lamas, ETSU
 
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 4, No. 5 Furman 2
Match 6: No. 3 ETSU 4, No. 2 Mercer 0
 
Saturday, April 22
Match 7: No. 3 ETSU 4, No. 1 Chattanooga 0