Starting out the season and maintaining a strong regular season Atlantic 10 play, St. Joe’s men’s tennis headed into the A-10 Championship seeded second. The team traveled to compete in Orlando, Florida, from April 22-25.
The championship for the Hawks began April 23, where the Hawks competed in the quarter finals against seventh-seeded Fordham University. The day started off with three doubles flights. First-year Damir Abdusamadov and sophomore Santiago Valle kickstarted the day with a 6-2 win and secured a doubles point for the Hawks. Maintaining momentum in the third flight, first-year Jakob Gaudreau Barnes closed out the match alongside first-year Davi Carlos with a 6-4 win.
With a lead against Fordham, the match continued into six singles flights. Despite Fordham taking a point during the first flight, the Hawks fought hard to stick close to Fordham in flights two and three before the matches were left unfinished. The Hawks’ lead against Fordham extended when junior Othman Bezzaz ended flight four with a win, and first-year Sehaj Singh Pawar pushed the Hawks one point away from advancing. With Barnes capturing another point, the Hawks shut out Fordham to, yet again, advance to the April 24 semifinals against third-seeded Dayton.
First year Jakob Gaudreau Barnesmade the clinching point to advance to semifinals. PHOTO: Atlantic 10 Conference.
Despite Dayton winning the first doubles flight, Bezzaz and junior Ernesto Ruy responded with a 6-4 win in the second flight. Shortly after, Dayton secured the doubles point. Bezzaz put the Hawks back up in the fourth flight of singles with a 6-4 in both matches. Continuing a strong performance, Pawar and Barnes closed the gap between Dayton in the fifth and sixth flights when the matches were halted. Ultimately, Dayton secured the points to advance to the title match. Though the Hawks’ run came to an end, the team ended a strong season with a competitive finish.