Date Posted: 4/18/2008

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - The 2008 Atlantic Sun Conference Men's tennis Tournament commenced early Monday morning on the Milligan College Tennis Courts. The tournament opened with defending champion and top-seed ETSU taking on eighth-seeded Belmont.

ETSU 4, Belmont 0

Tournament host ETSU overwhelmed the Bruins in the day's first match, not dropping a game at any of the four pointed matches. The Bucs claimed the doubles point in short order with the teams of Sebastian Serrano/Enrique Olivares and Lisandro Picardo/Daniel Isaza each posting 8-0 victories.

ETSU’s Nos. 4, 5 and 6 picked up the final three points as Picardo, Oscar Posada and Isaza each picked up 6-0, 6-0 wins to move the Buccaneers into the semifinals for the third consecutive year.

#2 Stetson 4, #7 Lipscomb 0

The No. 2 Stetson Hatters eased past the seventh-seeded Lipscomb Bisons and into the semifinals Friday afternoon. The teams of Filip Kricka/Hicham Laalej and Joey Jones/Marcus Echtler secured the doubles point for the Hatters with 8-0 and 8-3 victories.

Echtler (6-3, 6-2), Laalej (6-0, 6-0) and Sergei Boulanov (6-0, 6-3) combined to close out the match for Stetson in singles action.

#3 Campbell 4, #6 Mercer 0

The Fightin’ Camels survived a stiff test from No. 6 Mercer to advance to the semis in a match much closer than the finals score indicates. Mercer picked up the first doubles victory at the third position, but No. 3 Campbell rallied for 8-5 and 8-4 wins at Nos. 1 and 2 to take a 1-0 lead.

Loukas Wallaart, a late entry into the Campbell lineup due to injury, increased the lead to 2-0 with a 6-1, 6-1 victory at No. 6 singles. A-Sun Freshman of the Year Davy Sum notched the third Campbell point when injury forced his opponent to retire in a match level at a set apiece, 3-6, 7-5, and Marc Sifre’s 6-0, 7-6 (8) triumph at No. 3 singles punched the Camels’ semifinal ticket

#5 Gardner-Webb 4, #4 Jacksonville 1

The Runnin’ Bulldogs pulled off the only upset of opening day Friday evening after rallying back from a 1-0 deficit and posting four consecutive singles victories. Jacksonville won two of the three doubles matches to open play, but Gardner-Webb did not drop a set in the four pointed singles matches to notch the upset.

Grant Van Rensburg dropped Marcos Oliveira 6-3, 6-1 at the No. 4 position, and Taylor Ferrier and Carlos Quijano won 7-6(0), 6-2 and 6-1, 6-4, respectively. First-Team All-Conference selection Evgeny Slesarev closed out the match with a 6-2, 6-3 triumph at No.1.

Related Links:
 • Men's Championship Coverage