George Washington University

Sept. 21, 2012

UVA Ranked +1 Complete Draws

WASHINGTON & CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The George Washington men’s tennis team opened the 2012 fall season on Friday at two separate tournaments – the UVA Ranked +1 Invitational in Charlottesville, Va., and the nearby Georgetown Classic.

The UVA Ranked +1 Invitational is a three-day tournament at the Snyder Tennis Center that features 64 players from 16 NCAA Division I teams. The Colonials combined for a 6-2 performance on the day through singles and doubles play, highlighted by an impressive six-game comeback by the doubles duo of newcomers Nikita Fomin and Danil Zelenkov.

“Overall I was very pleased with our performance. Going at least 6-2 at this invitational is something we now expect,” said seventh-year head coach Greg Munoz. “We have a great group of players who have worked hard and it has paid off. Being the first tournament of the year, nerves could have played a role, but this team showed no signs of fear.”

In Black Doubles play, Fomin and Zelenkov found themselves down, 7-3, to Atlantic 10 newcomer VCU’s Claes Gorensson and Max Wennakoski, who is ranked No. 80 in the nation by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) and No. 40 in doubles with alternate partner Alexis Heugas. Fomin and Zelenkov powered back to win six-straight games and defeat the Rams pair, 9-7. The duo of Fomin and Zelenkov then went on to earn an easy 8-3 victory over Jon Ho and Adam Lee of Wake Forest.

In Green Doubles, sophomore Francisco Dias – who owns a No. 89 national ranking by the ITA – and partner senior Alexander van Gils fell to the 17th-ranked pair in the country in Wake Forest’s David Hopkins and Amogh Prabhaker by an 8-6 score. Hopkins is also ranked No. 102 by the ITA in singles. Dias and van Gils bounced back later to defeat host Virginia’s Mitchell Polnet and Alex Scheinman, 8-4.

Dias opened Orange Singles action with an easy 6-3, 6-2 win over VCU’s Jaime Vazques, and van Gils earned a three-set (7-5, 6-7, 6-1) Blue Singles victory over Penn State’s Roman Trkulja.

In his first singles match in the Buff and Blue, Fomin, a junior, defeated Thomas Dehaen of Radford by scores of 6-0, 6-1 in Gold Singles. Zelenkov, a freshman, was edged by Illinois’ Jared Hiltzik in three sets, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

The Georgetown Classic is a two-day tournament held at the Hoyas’ McDonough Outdoor Tennis Complex. In singles play, senior Leonardo Lapentti defeated Kevin Katz of Georgetown, 6-2, 6-2 and junior Viktor Svensson beat the Hoyas’ Alex Tropiano by scores of 6-2, 6-2. Sophomore Mike Kachkar fell to UMBC’s Daniel Gray in a tiebreaker, 7-6, 7-6.

In doubles action, Lapentti and Kachkar teamed up to defeat the Retrievers’ Eric Jarkowski and Lasinger by an easy 8-1 score. Svensson and classmate Ulrik Thomsen fell in extra sets to  Georgetown’s Shane Korber and John Brosens, 9-7.

Both events are scheduled to resume Saturday morning at 9 a.m. Follow the @GWMensTennis Twitter handle for periodic updates throughout the day.
 

UVA Ranked +1 Invitational
Singles
Orange Singles
#89 Francisco Dias (GW) def. Jaime Vazquez (VCU) – 6-3, 6-2

Blue Singles
Alexander van Gils (GW) def. Roman Trkulja (PSU) – 7-5, 6-7, 6-1

White Singles
Jared Hiltzik (UI) def. Danil Zelenkov (GW) – 6-4, 4-6, 6-3

Gold Singles
Nikita Fomin (GW) def. Thomas Dehaen (RU) – 6-0, 6-1

Doubles
Green Doubles
#17 David Hopkins/Amogh Prabhaker (WFU) def. Francisco Dias/Alexander van Gils (GW) – 8-6
Francisco Dias/Alexander van Gils (GW) def. Mitchell Polnet/Alex Scheinman (UVA) – 8-4 

Black Doubles
Nikita Fomin/Danil Zelenkov (GW) def. Claes Gorensson/Max Wennakoski (VCU) – 9-7
Nikita Fomin/Danil Zelenkov (GW) def. Jon Ho/Adam Lee (WFU) – 8-3

Georgetown Classic
Singles
Leonardo Lapentti (GW) def. Kevin Katz (GU) – 6-2, 6-2
Viktor Svensson (GW) def. Alex Tropiano (GU) – 6-2, 6-2
Daniel Gray (UMBC) def. Mike Kachkar (GW) – 7-6, 7-6

Doubles
Leonardo Lapentti/Mike Kachkar (GW) def. Eric Jarkowski/Justin Lasinger (UMBC) – 8-1
Shane Korber/John Brosens (GU) def. Viktor Svensson/Ulrik Thomsen (GW) – 9-7