MERION STATION, Pa. – The 11th annual SJU Men's Tennis Invitational opened on Friday with doubles play across both the main and consolation draws. Saint Joseph's juniors Nickolas Frisk and Johnnie Massart headlined the Hawk performance with a run to the semifinals of the first flight.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Frisk and Massart earned an 8-2 win in the first round over a duo from Harford Community College before getting past a pair from La Salle, 8-6, in the quarterfinals. The Hawk duo was halted in a tight semifinal by Villanova's Dylan Flanagan and Tommy Mulflur by a 9-7 score.
• Elsewhere in the top flight, senior Eshan Kanetkar and junior Nathan Perrone were first-round winners, taking an 8-5 result over a pair from Mary Washington, before falling 8-3 to competitors from Lehigh in the quarterfinals. Graduate student Francesco Mowrey and senior Beekman Schaeffer fell in the opening round, 8-6, to a pair from Delaware, and dropped an 8-5 match in the consolation draw to a Mary Washington duo.
• In flight number two, senior Scott Battaglia and junior Sam Sauter were 8-5 first-round winners before bowing out in the quarters, 8-4.
• Senior Nathan Fioravante and freshman Jack Campbell suffered an 8-4 opening-round defeat in the main draw before going down, 8-2, in the consolation bracket. Senior Luis Janko and junior Alex MacNeil dropped an 8-5 result in their first match before falling in a tiebreak, 9-8 (4), in the consolation draw.
HAWK TALK
"Overall, it was a solid first day for the Hawks," assistant coach Marc Pibernat said. "Today was only doubles and the guys competed hard and kept their composure in moments that were crucial.
"A special mention to Johnnie and Nickolas, who reached the semifinals playing some very good tennis and showing tremendous chemistry as a team like they did last weekend at Villanova. As a whole, the guys are looking like a very close team where everyone has each other's backs."
UP NEXT
Play at the SJU Invitational continues on Saturday morning with singles action set to begin at 8:30 a.m. Visit Tournament Central for updated results and spectator information.
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