HARLINGEN, Texas – Senior Ivan Marrero Curbelo continued an unreal Fall slate for Jacksonville State's men's tennis program last week at the ITF Futures Harlingen M25. The Saint Leo transfer went on a run to the Semifinal Round in singles and doubles play of the event, competing against and dominating versus some of the best competition nationally.
 
"This is a phenomenal result for Ivan," head coach Trey Morris said. "For our program, this is exactly what we're all about. This is what we're building towards and what the philosophy behind our program is, which is to help develop our players to have successful pro careers."
 
Marrero Curbelo began the event in the Lone Star State with a pair of wins in the Qualifying Round. He downed Nevada's Edgard Destouet 6-0, 6-1, in the opening match before posting a 6-1, 6-2, triumph over Grant Lothringer of Texas A&M to advance to the Main Draw.
 
The Las Palmas, Spain, native picked up a huge win in the First Round, defeating Duke's Garrett Johns in two sets. Johns is a top-20 player nationally according to the ITA in both singles and doubles play, but fell to Marrero Curbelo 6-3, 6-3. Jax State's standout then knocked off Rudy Quan of UCLA, 6-2, 6-1, to continue action in the Main Draw.
 
Arguably his biggest win of the invite came in the Quarterfinals, when Marrero Curbelo eliminated the tournament's top seed, Louisville's Federico Agustin Gomez, 6-3, 6-1. Although his singles run came to a close with a tight loss in the semis, the Spaniard still had work to do in doubles.
 
The tandem of Marrero Curbelo and Jared Thompkins tallied a two-set victory in the First Round of doubles action in Harlingen. They added another win, then would go on to fall to the No. 1 seed and eventual champions in the following round, however.
 
Sophomore Gamecock Alin Fatu also participated in the Harlingen M25. He battled well in the First Round against Brayden Michna of Texas A&M but came up just short in a 6-4, 1-6, 8-10, heartbreaker.
 
"This is a great achievement for him individually and for our program," assistant coach Gonzalo Garcia-Nieto, who coached Marrero Curbelo and Fatu on-site in Texas, said. "He's been preparing very hard on a daily basis and all the work that he's been putting in has been reflected this week with his high level of play. We're happy leaving Texas knowing he left everything out there."
 
"This result also shows the quality of our program in regards to development," Morris said. "This is a career-best finish for Ivan in a Futures Singles Draw and a great finish in doubles as well. We're extremely proud of him and excited for the future as well."
 
Jacksonville State's men continue an action-packed Fall schedule this week. The squad will make a short weekend trip to take part in the North Alabama Invitational. That event will run Friday through Sunday in Florence.
 
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