The No. 5 seed Chattanooga Mocs men’s tennis team earned its third-straight trip to the Southern Conference Tournament semifinal round after posting a 4-0 shutout victory over No. 4 Mercer in the quarterfinal stage on Thursday afternoon at Champions Club in Chattanooga.
Following the win, Chattanooga improves to 10-14 overall and appears in the semifinal round for the third-straight season. Mercer concludes the season at 7-13 following the tournament defeat.
UTC will now take on top-seeded No.
1 ETSU, who looks for its ninth-straight SoCon Tournament title, tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET. The Mocs will look to avenge last year’s 4-0 defeat to the Bucs in the title match.
Chattanooga was in complete control in doubles play at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions as the two spots posted similar 6-2 victories. Ryan Mudre and Jaxon Lamb notched the win in the No. 3 hole shortly before Cortland Grove and Jordan McClure clinch the point at No. 2.
Recently named to the All-SoCon Second Team in singles, Gabriel Castillo kicked things off in singles action with a 6-0, 6-4 win at No. 2 before Grove followed with a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 3 to give UTC a 3-0 lead in the match. It was Mudre on No. 4 that sealed the deal and the shutout win, claiming a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 comeback win to send the Mocs to the semifinal stages.
Tournament action continues at the local Champions Club facility tomorrow and Saturday as a league champion will eventually be crowned. With potential rain and schedule changes, please check on the tournament central location HERE for the most up-to-date information.
Chattanooga 4, Mercer 0
4/18/2024 at Chattanooga, Tenn. (Champions Club)
Singles competition
1. Nemanja Stefanovic (MER) vs. Jakub Jupa (UTC) 6-4, 1-6, 4-1, unfinished
2. Gabriel Castillo (UTC) def. Lucas Dini (MER) 6-0, 6-4
3. Cortland Grove (UTC) def. Marceau Fouilhoux (MER) 6-2, 6-2
4. Ryan Mudre (UTC) def. Samuel Barrow (MER) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
5. Samuel Macleod (MER) vs. Kristof Kincses (UTC) 6-3, 4-6, 0-2, unfinished
6. Victor Putter (MER) vs. Peyton Gatti (UTC) 6-2, 5-1, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Lucas Dini/Andrew Branicki (MER) vs. Jakub Jupa/Peyton Gatti (UTC) 4-5, unfinished
2. Cortland Grove/Jordan McClure (UTC) def. Nemanja Stefanovic/Marceau Fouilhoux (MER) 6-2
3. Ryan Mudre/Jaxon Lamb (UTC) def. Samuel Barrow/Samuel Macleod (MER) 6-2