GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Members of the Tusculum University men's tennis team will compete at the ITA Division II Southeast Regional Championship, to be held this weekend at the Palmetto Tennis Center in Sumter, South Carolina.
Competing in singles for the Pioneers will be grad students Frank Bonacia, Rhodri Atkinson and Kenta Kondou, along with junior Nemanja Subanovic and sophomore Robin Eldin. Bonacia, Atkinson and Kondou all received byes into the round of 64 and will begin singles play on Friday afternoon, while Subanovic and Eldin will have opening-round matches on Friday morning.
Bonacia advanced to the quarterfinal round of singles last fall, earning a pair of straight-set wins before rallying for a victory in the round of 16. The Rome, Italy native went 0-2 in competition at Lincoln Memorial and carries a 48-21 career record into regional play.
Atkinson made his Tusculum debut with a split of two matches at Lincoln Memorial earlier this month. The Lenoir-Rhyne transfer was also a Round of 16 participant at last year's ITA Regional, a run that included a three-set win over now-Tusculum teammate Kondou in the round of 64. The Longhope, England native is 48-15 in his career in singles play.
Kondou won his opening match at last year's ITA meet, and added a consolation victory to finish with a 2-2 record at the tournament. The Saitama, Japan native holds a 31-9 career record as he begins his third season with the Pioneers.
Subanovic, a native of Subotica, Serbia, went to the round of 32 at the ITA Regional last fall, and has a 24-17 career record in singles for the Pioneers. Eldin, who hails from Bois-le-Roi, France, earned an opening-round win at last year's regionals, and is 19-9 early in his second season with the Pioneers.
In doubles, Eldin will team up with Kondou, Subanovic will be partnered with Atkinson and Bonacia will play with sophomore Marco Jalalian. Eldin and Kondou played as a team in last year's ITA Regional, losing their opening match, while Bonacia and Subanovic were seeded into the round of 16 but dropped their opener as well.
The Bonacia/Jalalian and Atkinson/Subanovic teams were drawn into the round of 32 and will begin their competition on Saturday morning, while Kondou and Eldin will be on the court for the opening round Friday morning at 8 a.m.
The first two rounds of singles will be contested on Friday, with the round of 32 scheduled for Saturday afternoon. The round of 16 and quarterfinals will be played Sunday afternoon, with the semifinals on Monday morning and the finals Monday afternoon. A consolation bracket for players who lose their opening match will be held Saturday.