YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. --- The Tusculum University men's tennis team captured a singles and doubles flight win as they competed at the Mountain Lion Invitational, hosted by Young Harris College.
Gabriel Yaguar won the flight C singles competition with a tiebreaker victory over teammate Manuel Guedes de Almeida, who in turn teamed with Vadzim Raitsou to win flight B doubles. Frank Bonacia was a finalist in flight A singles, and the team of Leon Huck and David Akinpetide advanced to the finals of flight A doubles.
Yaguar, the top seed in the flight, breezed to the finals by dropping a total of five games in his three straight-set wins. He beat Blake Kendall of Reinhardt 6-1, 6-0 in the round of 16, defeated Diego Ravelo of Young Harris 6-2, 6-1 in the quarterfinals and beat fourth-seeded Denis Muratovic of Lee in the semifinals. Almeida, who was seeded second, won 6-2, 6-1 over Christian Paez of Reinhardt in the round of 16, beat Ruben Gonzalez of Young Harris 6-1, 6-1 in the quarterfinals and downed teammate Jacco Mensinga in the semifinals by a 7-5, 6-1 score. In the flight championship, Almeida won the first set 6-1 and Yaguar captured the second set 7-5, leading to a tiebreaker that Yaguar won 10-7.
In doubles, Almeida and Raitsou were seeded third and defeated Rodrigo Huarachi and Satoshi Yamada of Bluefield College 6-1 in the flight B quarterfinals, beat second-seeded Romeo Luque and Miguel Danelon of Young Harris 7-5 in the semifinals, and won 6-2 over John Brett and Herman Ronnberg of Young Harris in the finals.
At flight A, the unseeded Bonacia opened competition with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over Pau Pujadas of Reinhardt, then pulled a 7-6 (7-1), 5-7, (10-7) upset of top-seeded Jesus Garcia Gil of Lee in the quarterfinals. Bonacia moved to the finals after beating Musami Komada of Reinhardt in the semifinals by a 4-6, 6-4, (10-2) score, and engaged in a marathon match with second-seeded Martin Mendoza of Reinhardt in the finals. Each of the first two sets were decided in a tiebreaker, with Bonacia taking the first set 7-6 (7-4) and Mendoza winning set two 7-6 (7-5). In the 10-point tiebreaker, Mendoza won 10-5 to claim the flight championship.
In flight A doubles, Huck and Akinpetide won three matches to advance into the finals. They defeated Gabriel Martin and Jai Rowe of Belmont Abbey 6-4 in the round of 16, then beat third-seeded Antonio Pons and Bruno Medeiros of Lee 6-2 in the quarterfinals. Huck and Akinpetide then defeated their second-seeded teammates Bonacia and Yago Fernandez 6-1 in the semifinals, before being downed in the finals 6-0 by the top-seeded Lee team of Gil and Cristian Pons.
In other matches, Fernandez advanced to the semifinals in flight A by beating Sam Alexander of Reinhardt 6-3, 6-2 in the round of 16 and Kash Reddiyar of Young Harris 6-3, 6-3 in the quarterfinals. Huck claimed a win in the B flight with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Belmont Abbey's Rowe in the round of 16. Mensinga won two matches in the C flight, beating Tanaka Rushwaya of Bluefield College 6-1, 6-1 in the round of 16 and defeating Andrew Johnston of Lee 6-2, 6-4 in the quarterfinals.
Bonacia and Fernandez earned a victory in the quarterfinal round of flight A doubles, beating Alexander and Mendoza of Reinhardt 6-1 in the quarterfinals before being defeated in the semifinals by teammates Huck and Akinpetide.
Tusculum will participate in the ITA Southeast Region Championship at the Palmetto Tennis Center in Sumter, South Carolina starting Thursday and continuing through the weekend.
Flight A singles
Round of 16
Frank Bonacia (Tusculum) def. Pau Pujadas (Reinhardt) 6-4, 6-0
Yago Fernandez (Tusculum) def. Sam Alexander (Reinhardt) 6-3, 6-2
Satoshi Yamada (Bluefield College) def. David Akinpetide (Tusculum) 6-0, 6-3
Quarterfinals
Frank Bonacia (Tusculum) def. Jesus Garcia Gil (Lee) 7-6 (7-1), 5-7, 1-0 (10-7)
Yago Fernandez (Tusculum) def. Kash Reddiyar (Young Harris) 6-3, 6-3
Semifinals
Frank Bonacia (Tusculum) def. Musami Komada (Reinhardt) 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-2)
Martin Mendoza (Reinhardt) def. Yago Fernandez (Tusculum) 6-4, 6-0
Finals
Martin Mendoza (Reinhardt) def. Frank Bonacia (Tusculum) 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-5), 1-0 (10-5)
Flight B singles
Round of 16
Leon Huck (Tusculum) def. Jai Rowe (Belmont Abbey) 6-3, 6-2
Quarterfinals
Will Roberts (Belmont Abbey) def. Leon Huck (Tusculum) 7-5, 6-4
Antonio Pons (Lee) def. Vadzim Raitsou (Tusculum) 6-4, 6-0
Consolation
Jai Rowe (Belmont Abbey) def. Vadzim Raitsou (Tusculum) 2-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-8)
Flight C singles
Round of 16
Gabriel Yaguar (Tusculum) def. Blake Kendall (Reinhardt) 6-1, 6-0
Jacco Mensinga (Tusculum) def. Tanaka Rushwaya (Bluefield College) 6-1, 6-1
Manuel Almeida (Tusculum) def. Christian Paez (Reinhardt) 6-2, 6-1
Quarterfinals
Gabriel Yaguar (Tusculum) def. Diego Ravelo (Young Harris) 6-2, 6-1
Jacco Mensinga (Tusculum) def. Andrew Johnston (Lee) 6-2, 6-4
Manuel Almeida (Tusculum) def. Ruben Gonzalez (Young Harris) 6-1, 6-1
Semifinals
Gabriel Yaguar (Tusculum) def. Denis Muratovic (Lee) 6-1, 6-0
Manuel Almeida (Tusculum) def. Jacco Mensinga (Tusculum) 7-5, 6-1
Finals
Gabriel Yaguar (Tusculum) def. Manuel Almeida (Tusculum) 1-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-7)
Flight A doubles
Round of 16
Leon Huck/David Akinpetide (Tusculum) def. Gabriel Martin/Jai Rowe (Belmont Abbey) 6-4
Quarterfinals
Leon Huck/David Akinpetide (Tusculum) def. Antonio Pons/Bruno Medeiros (Lee) 6-2
Frank Bonacia/Yago Fernandez (Tusculum) def. Sam Alexander/Martin Mendoza (Reinhardt) 6-1
Jesus Garcia Gil/Cristian Pons (Lee) def. Gabriel Yaguar/Jacco Mensinga (Tusculum) 6-1
Semifinals
Leon Huck/David Akinpetide (Tusculum) def. Frank Bonacia/Yago Fernandez (Tusculum) 6-1
Finals
Jesus Garcia Gil/Cristian Pons (Lee) def. Leon Huck/David Akinpetide (Tusculum) 6-0
Flight B doubles
Quarterfinals
Manuel Almeida/Vadzim Raitsou (Tusculum) def. Rodrigo Huarachi/Satoshi Yamada (Bluefield College) 6-1
Semifinals
Manuel Almeida/Vadzim Raitsou (Tusculum) def. Romeo Luque/Miguel Danelon (Young Harris) 7-5
Finals
Manuel Almeida/Vadzim Raitsou (Tusculum) def. John Brett/Herman Ronnberg (Young Harris) 6-2