RICHMOND, Ky. (September 28, 2024) – The University of North Alabama men's tennis team competed in its second event of the 2024 fall season, completing the EKU Invite on Saturday afternoon from Richmond, Ky.
The Lions put on a solid effort in the two-day event, totaling 30 wins across singles and doubles play. UNA faced off primarily against the Colonels and ETSU, with individual players from Kentucky and Northern Kentucky also competing. North Alabama took home the doubles bracket win along with two wins in the singles bracket to cap the weekend in Kentucky.
Starting in doubles, Brain and Nakajima won three-straight matches to start the winning for North Alabama. The pair opened with a 6-4 win over EKU's Adrian Contreras and Fernando Bulnes Garrorena, followed by a 6-3 win over ETSU's Peter Kalocsai and Carlos Ferreira Gonzales. Brain and Nakajima secured the top-spot victory with a 7-5 triumph over ETSU's James Sim and Juan Andres Listo.
Altur and sophomore Birtan Duran secured a consolation bracket win after falling early in the main bracket. The two fell 6-3 to ETSU's Peter Kalocsai and Carlos Victor Ferreira Gonzales to open, but they recovered with two-straight wins with a 6-4 win over EKU's Contreras and Bulnes Garrorena and 6-3 victory over the Colonels' Kristoffer Stahlbrand and Darko Kolevski.
Senior Nazar Fedoryshyn and sophomore Izan Orgiles picked up their lone win in doubles with a 6-4 result against Contreras and Bulnes Garrorena.
Moving into the singles bracket, Fedoryshyn and Orgiles rebounded from the doubles performance to take the flight two bracket. Both opened with respective victories, with Fedoryshyn beating EKU's Kartik Parhar, 6-4, 6-3, and Orgiles defeating the Colonels' Kolevski, 6-1, 6(4)-7(7), 10-6.
Fedoryshyn followed the win with a three-set battle, defeating Listo of ETSU, 6-3, 4-6, 10-6. Orgiles' semifinal match also went into three sets but prevailed in a 6-4, 6(3)-7(7), 10-6 win against Ferreira. The bracket was automatically decided with both UNA players making the final.
Just like flight two, flight three was dominated by the Lions with Altur and freshman Samu Dominguez taking the bracket. Altur opened with a 7-5, 6-3 result over EKU's Romeo Navarro, with the sophomore following up with a 7(7)-6(5), 6-2 win over the Colonels' Jose Miralles. Dominguez got his singles campaign started with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Northern Kentucky's Dugan Fowler with the freshman also victorious in a 6-3, 6-3 bout against EKU's Ryan Kitchin.
The flight one singles bracket was won by Kentucky's Matthew Rankin, but Brain and Nakajima were able to take a win each to round out singles play. Brain gained a 6-2, 6-2 win against Contreras of EKU, and Nakajima beat Bulnes Garrorena, 6-4, 6-3, before both suffered defeats in the second round.
Brain and Nakajima gained their second singles win in day two's flight swap, along with an additional win from Altur and Fedoryshyn.
Each player from North Alabama secured a win in singles and doubles each. Junior Lachlan Brain, sophomore Alberto Altur and freshman Satoru Nakajima finished with the most wins with five, with Brain and Nakajima leading the team with three double match wins. Altur took home three singles wins, tying with senior Nazar Fedoryshyn for the team high.
Full results can be found here.
Men's Tennis returns to the court next on Oct. 16 to 21, as the Lions will prep for the ITA Regionals at LSU in Baton Rouge, La.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
