Tahirovic, McDonald Best Patriot League Competition to Advance to ITA Masters Championships

RESULTS

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Bucknell's top-seeded Amar Tahirovic found the toughest competition in the singles draw at this weekend's Patriot League ITA Conference Masters qualifier to be from his own teammate. After winning the men's doubles title with Brendan McDonald earlier in the day, Tahirovic was pushed all the way to a third-set tiebreaker by fellow Bison Adam Stavrakas on the way to the singles crown.

The 2024 ITA Conference Masters Championships will be held Nov. 7-10 in Rome, Ga., and will have draws of 32 singles players and 32 doubles teams, with each Division I conference represented. At this tournament, four players – the four semifinalists -- will automatically qualify for the NCAA Singles Championship. Meanwhile, three doubles teams – the champion, runner-up, and third-place finisher -- will automatically qualify for the NCAA Doubles Championship.

This weekend's action at West Point's Malek Tennis Courts featured the Patriot League's top players vying for the singles and doubles bids to the ITA event. Tahirovic and McDonald will represent Bucknell and the Patriot League after a pair of dramatic finals on Sunday.

After winning their semifinal match in an 11-9 tiebreaker on Saturday, the pair of Bison juniors were tested again by Lehigh's Marc Blekhman and Sean Jaeger in the final. Tahirovic and McDonald once again won their set in a tiebreak to claim the doubles title.

In the singles draw, Tahirovic and Stavrakas seemed to be on a collision course throughout the weekend. Stavrakas, the No. 4 seed, started with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Navy's Jeffrey Etterbeek, he beat Blekhman 6-3, 6-1 in the quarterfinals, and then knocked out No. 2 seed Jackson Armistead of Army 6-4, 6-3 in the semis.

Meanwhile, Tahirovic was just as dominant on the top side of the draw. He started with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Jaeger, he conceded only one game in a 6-1, 6-0 win over Army's Alan Ton, and then he did blank Josh Israel of Colgate 6-0, 6-0 in the semis.

In Sunday's final, Stavrakas won the first set in a tiebreaker 8-6. Tahirovic bounced back and took the second set 6-3, and then he claimed the ultra tight third set in another long 8-6 tiebreaker.

Draws will be announced soon for the ITA Conference Masters Championships in Georgia.

Tahirovic, McDonald Best Patriot League Competition to Advance to ITA Masters Championships

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Players Mentioned

Brendan McDonald

Adam Stavrakas

Amar Tahirovic