MERION STATION, Pa.—After knocking out the top overall seed in the semifinal round of the Flight 1 doubles draw on Sunday morning, the Villanova team of senior Matthew Jones (Dallas, Texas) and sophomore Josh Robinson (Potomac, Md.) cruised to a 6-1 victory in the championship match to win the title as the Saint Joseph's Invitational wrapped up action at the SJU Tennis Complex on Sunday afternoon. It was a successful weekend for the Wildcats, who had an overall champion and a consolation champion in doubles to go along with one finalist and one consolation draw winner in singles play at the annual fall tournament held on the Maguire Courts and the Finnesey Courts on the Saint Joseph's campus.
 
Jones was the Flight 3 singles draw consolation winner after reeling off three straight wins over the last two days. Sophomore Ryan Nguyen (Oakton, Va.) reached the championship match in the Flight 4 singles bracket while the team of freshman Trey Fourticq (Los Angeles, Calif.) and sophomore Eitan Khromchenko (Manalapan, N.J.) were the Flight 2 doubles consolation winners.
 
Jones and Robinson went 3-0 in the top doubles draw and improved to 15-5 as doubles partners over the last two seasons. The pair faced the top seed of Mikeal Carpenter and Rhajzon Rankins from Morgan State early Sunday and tallied a 6-3 victory to move on to the final. In the championship match Jones and Robinson posted a 6-1 win over Alexandre Gluck and Guilherme Valdoleiros from Delaware.
 
Nguyen advanced to the final in the Flight 4 singles bracket and played a pair of matches that went to tiebreakers on Sunday. He outlasted Michael Bukhalo of Lehigh in a 6-3, 1-6, 12-10 marathon in a semifinal match before narrowly falling to Jeremy Learner from the Mountain Hawks in the final by a count of 6-3, 6-7 (4), 10-7. Nguyen and junior Alex Kim (Cary, N.C.) were each playing semifinal matches in the Flight 4 draw on Sunday morning. Kim fell by the closest of margins to Learner who pulled out a 6-2, 7-6 (9) decision after a long tiebreaker to end the second set.
 
Jones defeated Gustav Wogen from Drexel, 8-3 in a superset, to win the final match in the Flight 3 consolation draw. After falling in the first round of the bracket, Jones came back with wins over opponents from Morgan State and Drexel on Saturday to set up Sunday's match with Wogen.
 
The rest of the action for the Wildcats on Sunday took place in the consolation draw of the Flight 2 doubles bracket which featured three different Villanova teams in competition. Fourticq and Khromchenko defeated teammates Anthony Prokurat (Manalapan, N.J.) and Justin Suarez (Manila, Philippines) by a 6-3 margin to win the consolation draw. Earlier in the day Fourticq and Khromchenko were 6-3 winners over Juan Bejarano and Adrian Tudor from NJIT to reach the final match in the bracket. Prokurat and Suarez also won their first match on Sunday when they defeated teammates Will Gatti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Collin Klumb (Leawood, Kan.) in a 7-6 (3) decision.
 
Villanova will be idle next week before returning to action to play in the River City Open at Richmond from October 8-10.
 
SAINT JOSEPH'S INVITATIONAL
SJU Tennis Complex
Merion Station, Pa.
September 26, 2021
 
SUNDAY RESULTS
 
Flight 2 Singles
Consolation
Matvey Radionov (Drexel) defeated Justin Suarez (Villanova) 8-5
 
Flight 3 Singles
Consolation
Matthew Jones (Villanova) defeated Gustav Wogen (Drexel) 8-3
 
Flight 4 Singles
Semifinal
Jeremy Learner (Lehigh) defeated Alex Kim (Villanova) 6-2, 7-6 (9)
Ryan Nguyen (Villanova) defeated Michael Bukhalo (Lehigh) 6-3, 1-6, 12-10
 
Championship
Jeremy Learner (Lehigh) defeated Ryan Nguyen (Villanova) 6-3, 6-7 (4), 10-7
 
Flight 1 Doubles
Semifinal
Matthew Jones/Josh Robinson (Villanova) defeated Mikeal Carpenter/Rhajzon Rankins (Morgan State) 6-3
 
Championship
Matthew Jones/Josh Robinson (Villanova) defeated Alexandre Gluck/Guilherme Valdoleiros (Delaware) 6-1
 
Flight 2 Doubles
Consolation
Anthony Prokurat/Justin Suarez (Villanova) defeated Will Katti/Collin Klumb (Villanova) 7-6 (3)
Trey Fourticq/Eitan Khromchenko (Villanova) defeated Juan Bejarano/Adrian Tudor (NJIT) 6-3
Trey Fourticq/Eitan Khromchenko (Villanova) defeated Anthony Prokurat/Justin Suarez (Villanova) 6-3