Friday, 04/13/2012

MASON, Ohio - The George Washington men's tennis team defeated 12th-seeded La Salle and upset fourth-seededTemple on Friday at the Lindner Family Tennis Center to advance to the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Championship for the sixth straight year.

The reigning A-10 champions opened the morning with an easy 5-0 win over La Salle to advance to the quarterfinals to play Temple, which received an automatic bye to the second round. After dropping the doubles point to the Owls, GW fought back to win the Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 5 singles matches to upset Temple and avenge a 4-2 loss from earlier this season.

The Colonials (15-7) advanced to face top-seeded Charlotte on Saturday at 11 a.m. The Buff and Blue look to repay the 49ers for a 4-3 setback last month.

GW earned the doubles point over the Explorers with victories at the Nos. 2 and 3 slots. The No. 2 duo of juniorsLeonardo Lapentti and Alexander van Gils took down Chas Berenato and Joseph LaBate, 8-3, while the No. 3 pair of senior Richard Blumenfeld and freshman Mike Kachkar defeated Dale Fetterman and Robert Kasinow, 8-2.

Freshman Francisco Dias picked up his first No. 1 singles victory of the day as he won the first set, 6-1, and went ahead 1-0 in the second when De'Sean Fennell retired due to injury. Senior Ugur Atalay defeated Berenato, 6-1, 6-1, in the No. 2 spot to put the Colonials ahead by a 3-0 mark, when the Nos. 5 and 6 matches ended simultaneously to clinch the match. Blumenfeld downed Fetterman by set scores of 6-1, 6-1 in the No. 5 spot, and Kachkar earned a 6-1, 6-0 win over Kasinow at No. 6.

In the second match of the day, GW's No. 2 pair of van Gils and sophomore Ulrik Thomsen earned the Colonials' the lone doubles victory with an 8-1 win over Temple's Dimitry Vizhunov and Kristian Marquart.

With their A-10 crown on the line, the Colonials powered back with a 4-0 mark in singles play to down the Owls. Dias won his second No. 1 singles match of the day by default, asTemple's Filip Rams retired after falling behind, 6-3, 4-1. Atalay downed Kacper Rams, 6-2, 6-2, in the No. 2 spot, and Thomsen earned a 6-1, 6-1 decision in the No. 5 match.

Van Gils secured the match for GW with a No. 3 victory over Stas Stekolshikov in extra sets by scores of 6-2, 7-5.

The Colonials return to the Lindner Family Tennis Center to face Charlotte at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning with hopes of returning to the championship match on Sunday.


George Washington 5, La Salle 0
Singles
No. 1 - Francisco Dias (GW) def. De'Sean Fennell (LAS) - 6-1, 1-0 (retired)
No. 2 - Ugur Atalay (GW) def. Chas Berenato (LAS) - 6-1, 6-1
No. 3 - Alexander van Gils (GW) vs. Joseph LaBate (LAS) - 6-1, 3-2 (unfinished)
No. 4 - Leonardo Lapentti (GW) vs. Trevor Donovan (LAS) - 4-3 (unfinished)
No. 5 - Richard Blumenfeld (GW) def. Dale Fetterman (LAS) - 6-1, 6-1
No. 6 - Mike Kachkar (GW) def. Robert Kasinow (LAS) - 6-1, 6-0

Doubles
No. 1 - Atalay/Dias (GW) vs. Donovan/Fennell (LAS) - 5-4 (unfinished)
No. 2 - Lapentti/van Gils (GW) def. Berenato/LaBate (LAS) - 8-3
No. 3 - Blumenfeld/Kachkar (GW) def. Fetterman/Kasinow (LAS) - 8-2


George Washington 4, Temple 1
Singles
No. 1 - Francisco Dias (GW) def. Filip Rams (TU) - 6-3, 4-1 (retired)
No. 2 - Ugur Atalay (GW) def. Kacper Rams (TU) - 6-2, 6-2
No. 3 - Alexander van Gils (GW) def. Stas Stekolshikov (TU) - 6-2, 7-5
No. 4 - Dimitry Vizhunov (TU) vs. Leonardo Lapentti (GW) - 6-1, 5-4 (unfinished)
No. 5 - Ulrik Thomsen (GW) def. Kristian Marquart (TU) - 6-1, 6-1
No. 6 - Mansur Gishkaev (TU) vs. Richard Blumenfeld (GW) - 7-6 (5), 1-2 (unfinished)

Doubles
No. 1 - Rams/Rams (TU) def. Atalay/Dias (GW) - 8-5
No. 2 - van Gils/Thomsen (GW) def. Vizhunov/Marquart (TU) - 8-1
No. 3 - Gishkaev/Stekolshikov (TU) def. Kachkar/Blumenfeld (GW) - 8-6

- GW -