BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Villanova University men's tennis team opened its fall season at the Lehigh Invitational over the weekend (Sept. 28-29), competing in three rounds of dual-style matches in both singles and doubles against Lehigh, Lafayette College and Rider. As a team, the Wildcats went 1-2 in three singles rounds, picking up a win over Rider, and posted an 0-2-1 record in the doubles rounds.
To open play on Saturday (Sept. 28), Villanova defeated Rider in singles play, 6-2. The Wildcats' top two flights,
Will Monahan and
Trey Fourticq, each fell 8-4 and 8-7(4), respectively. Villanova swept the Broncs the rest of the way, highlighted by an 8-6 win by
Thomas Wakefield in the third flight. Sophomore transfer
Kush Anand and freshmen
Cameron Kruep,
Quincy Jones,
Jack Sherner and
Evan Ancu all earned their first win with the Blue and White.
In the first round of doubles competition, Villanova tied Lafayette, 2-2. The top-flighted Monahan and Fourticq fell to Ganchi and McKenzie of Lafayette, 6-2. The Wildcats' second and third flights each picked up a win, with Anand and
Cooper Gordon defeating Gelber and Magnussen, 6-3, and Wakefield and Jones beating brothers Tyler and Aidan Mahaffey, 6-2. VU's fourth flight,
Josh Vestal and Sherner, fell to Lerner and Studdiford, 6-3.
To close out day one of the event, Villanova fell to Lehigh in the singles round, 5-3. Monahan led the Wildcats by picking up an 8-4 win at the top flight. Gordon followed with an 8-6 win at the second flight. Fourticq fell to Jose Marariu at the third flight, 8-1, while Anand won a tight match at the fourth flight, 8-7 (4). Lehigh swept the bottom four flights, with Wakefield, Kruep,
Justin Frattarelli and Ancu all falling to wrap up the first day of play.
The teams opened day two (Sept. 29) with the second round of doubles, in which Villanova fell to Rider, 3-1. Monahan and Fourticq fell at the top flight, 6-4. Anand and Gordon lost in a tiebreaker in the second flight, 8-7 (1). Wakefield and Jones picked up the Wildcats' lone win in the round, taking down Martinez and Ghitti, 6-4. To close out the second doubles round, Sherner and Vestal fell in a close match to Turgambekov, and Griscti, 7-5.
In the final round of singles play, Villanova fell to Lafayette, 5-2. Monahan lost in a tiebreaker to Verner, 8-7 (3). Fourticq defeated Studdiford in the second flight, 8-3. In the third flight, Gordon also lost in a tiebreaker, 8-7 (4). Lafayette's McKenzie defeated Anand, 8-5, while Frattarelli and Sherner each fell in the fifth and sixth flights, 8-7 (5) and 8-1, respectively. To round out singles play, Vestal defeated Aidan Mahaffey, 8-4.
To close out the event, the Wildcats fell to Lehigh in doubles, 3-1. Anand and Fourticq fell in the top flight, 6-1. Wakefield and Kruep earned Villanova's lone win of the round in the second flight, 6-3. Monahan and Sherner fell to Lehigh's Hacohen and Morash, 6-2. In the fourth spot, Ancu and Frattarelli lost a close match to Horn-Borque and Donovan, 7-5.
Up next, Villanova will continue its fall season at the Saint Joseph's Invitational in Merion Station, Pa. The event will take place from Friday, Oct. 4 to Sunday, Oct. 6.
