BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Jax State men's tennis had a great showing this past weekend at the Samford Invitational. The event began on Friday, Sep. 26, and finished on Sunday, Sep. 28.
The Gamecocks went 9-2 over three days of doubles play, with
Aman Dahiya and
Timo De Visser highlighting the weekend with a 3-0 record against teams from Alabama State, UAB, and Samford.
Marko Milosavljevic and
David Krasner went 2-0 against Alabama State and UAB,
Lucius Soller and
Zach Murphy went 2-1 with wins against UAB and Alabama State with their lone loss coming against Samford on day three of the event. On day three, Krasner teamed up with
Matei Palcau for a 6-3 win over Samford.
"These men have really worked hard and competed well so far this fall," head coach
Michael Helms said. "Through six matches, we've continued to grow and improve with each day. That's all a coach can ask for. They've earned a few well-deserved days off, both for recovery and to recharge before the grind we have ahead in the coming weeks. I'm very proud of this group and the direction they're taking our program."
In singles, the Gamecocks kept their winning ways rolling. Krasner, De Visser, and Dahiya all went 3-0 in matches against UAB, Samford, and Alabama State, respectively. Soller went a perfect 2-0 against Samford and Alabama State.
Alin Fatu and
Charlie Penmann went 2-1, Milosavljevic went 1-1, and Murphy went 1-2 on the weekend.
Krasner earned his first win with a straight-set victory over UAB's Ondrej Valek with a pair of 6-3 finals on Sep. 26. De Visser earned a straight-set win over UAB's Tomas Tischner by scores of 6-4 in both sets. Dahiya got a straight-set triumph of his own against UAB's Axel Frechet. Dahiya won the first set 6-2 before dominating the second set 6-1. Soller was able to also win in straight-sets on the opening day of play with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Jake Anthony.
Krasner continued to shine on Sep. 27 with a 6-3, 6-2 win against Samford's Cooper Errey. De Visser won in tiebreakers, 7-6 (7-3), in the first set over Lukas Dvorak of Samford. Dahiya earned his second-straight straight-set win over Parker Free by scores of 6-3 in the first set and 6-2 in the second.
On the final day of play, Sep. 28, Krasner took a 7-5, 6-2 match over Alabama State's Gordan Mileusnic. De Visser handled Vid Maric 6-1, 6-2 to remain unbeaten. Dahiya took care of business 6-2 in the opening set against Martin Catrice. Catrice and Dahiya battled in the second, with Dahiya coming out on top 7-5. Soller stayed undefeated on the weekend thanks to a pair of 7-5 wins in straight-sets over Alabama State's Flor De Sitter.
The Gamecocks are back in action this Friday, Oct. 3, through Sunday, Oct. 5, at Mercer's Gridiron Classic.
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Facebook (Jacksonville State Men's Tennis), Instagram (@JaxStateMTEN), and X (@JaxStateMTEN) accounts.
