Men’s Tennis Continues Tournament Success at Villanova

Sunday, September 10

Villanova, Pa.

All Day

Bucknell University

Villanova Invitational

Photo by: Melissa Dudek -- UVA

Men’s Tennis Continues Tournament Success at Villanova

9/11/2023 5:14:00 PM | Men's Tennis

RESULTS

VILLANOVA, Pa. – One week after opening the 2023-24 season with a dominant performance at the Bucknell Invitational, it was more of the same for the Bison men's tennis team over the weekend at Villanova's fall tournament.

This event features a unique format where two-man pairs play best-two-of-three pods consisting of a doubles match and one singles match each. Bucknell won seven of its eight pods, and all told went 18-6 across all of its singles and doubles matches.

The sophomore tandem of Amar Tahirovic and Oscar Bain Moreno de Vega swept both of its pods against Patriot League Loyola and Colgate in the tournament's top draw. On Friday, Tahirovic and Bain downed Loyola's Matt Cardano and Ryan Boland 6-3 in doubles, and Tahirovic's 6-2, 6-3 win over Cardano clinched the group. The Bison duo defeated Colgate's Jerome Falcon and Josh Israel in their doubles match on Saturday, and this time it was Bain clinching the win with a 7-6, 6-2 verdict in singles. Sunday's championship round was washed out by rain.

Sophomores Adam Stavrakas and Brendan McDonald also played in the Blue Draw, which was the top flight. Stavrakas and McDonald defeated Ernesto Ruy and Jusus Agbo of Saint Joseph's in the first round. The Hawks pair won the doubles match, but the Bison took both singles tilts. McDonald won 7-5, 6-0, while Stavrakas outlasted Ruy in a three-setter. They then dropped an ultra-tight competition with Villanova's Tighe Brunetti and Josh Robinson in the semifinal round. The doubles match was decided in a tiebreaker, and Robinson's 6-2, 5-7, 10-8 singles win was the clincher for the Wildcats. The pair would have played Colgate's Falcon and Israel for third place on Sunday.

Senior Tim Zelikovsky paired with freshman Liam Kilmer for an unbeaten weekend in the White Draw. They took all three matches from Lafayette's Nick McKenzie and Davis Esslinger on Friday and then did the same against Villanova's Will Monahan and Thomas Wakefield in Saturday's semifinal round.

Freshmen Ethan Esclamado and Will Robinson teamed up in the Wildcat Draw and won their first contest against Lehigh's Jordan Paul and Sean Jaeger. Esclamado and Robinson won the doubles match 6-3, and Escalamado downed Paul 6-1, 6-4 to give the Bison a 2-1 win in the pod. The Bucknell tandem won again by a 2-1 count in the semifinal round against Colgate's Benito Vlassis and Parker McGowan. The Bison won the doubles 6-3, and Robinson defeated McGowan 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the final against a Villanova pair, a match that was subsequently rained out.

In two tournaments this season, Bucknell now has a combined 48-10 record, 32-6 in singles and 16-4 in doubles. The Bison will be back in action in two weeks at The Haggerty Championships, hosted by Binghamton.