Montreat Outlasts Pikeville to Score Upset; Semifinal Round Set

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Montreat, the No. 5 seed, produced the only upset of the Appalachian Athletic Conference Men's Tennis Tournament quarterfinals on Monday, beating No. 4 seed Pikeville 4-2 at Champions Club in Chattanooga, Tenn. The rest of the bracket held to form, with Tennessee Wesleyan, Milligan, and SCAD Atlanta all advancing with 4-0 victories in the quarterfinal round.

Montreat's win stood out in a day otherwise marked by shutouts. The Cavaliers claimed the doubles point by taking flights 2 and 3, then added singles wins from Vitor Monteiro at No. 2, Lucas Descalzi at No. 3 and Youssef Idboufous at No. 5. Descalzi's 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 result over Ahmed Hassairi was the most extended singles match among the clinching points, while Monteiro delivered one of the day's most decisive lines with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Alfonso Robinson. Pikeville got singles victories from Haithem Rabbouche at No. 1 and Rafael Gonzalez at No. 6, but Montreat's depth across doubles and the middle of the singles lineup proved decisive in the 4-2 result.

Top-seeded Tennessee Wesleyan moved on with a 4-0 win over Truett McConnell. Tennessee Wesleyan swept doubles flights 1 and 3, then closed the match with singles victories at Nos. 3, 4, and 5. Lucas Perez and Rocco Mariani each figured in both doubles and singles points. Perez paired with Maceo Simpson for a 6-0 win at No. 1 doubles and later posted a 6-0, 6-0 decision against David Andrau at No. 4 singles. Mariani teamed with Chanon Phunsawat for a 6-0 doubles win at No. 3, then added a 6-0, 6-0 singles victory over Ross Stewart at No. 5. Santiago Russo also won comfortably, beating Juan Pablo Diaz 6-1, 6-1 at No. 3 singles.

Milligan advanced with a 4-0 result against Johnson. The Buffaloes secured doubles wins at Nos. 1 and 3, then took singles matches at Nos. 1, 2, and 4 to finish the quarterfinal. Michal Curlej and Martin Mercarder were central to that effort. They paired for a win at No. 1 doubles, and both added singles victories, with Curlej defeating Emanuel Casco 6-0, 6-3 at No. 2 and Mercarder turning in a 6-0, 6-0 result over Miguel Sanchez Loo at No. 4. Gonzaga Lafarga also contributed in both phases, teaming with Phil Schollhorn for a doubles win before beating Lennart Kleeberg 6-4, 6-3 at No. 1 singles.

SCAD Atlanta completed the quarterfinal slate with a 4-0 win over Columbia. SCAD Atlanta took doubles flights 1 and 2, then collected singles victories at Nos. 1, 2, and 3. Joewyn Pascua was involved in two points, teaming with Firas Ben Chouikha for a 6-2 doubles win and then defeating Waldo Bosch 6-2, 6-1 at No. 1 singles. Valentino Capararo also won in doubles and singles, including a 6-0, 6-0 result against Gabriel Kian at No. 3. Maximo Nagele rounded out the singles scoring with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Len Spanier at No. 2.

Three quarterfinals ended in 4-0 sweeps, but Montreat changed the shape of the bracket with the only upset of the round. That result sent the fifth seed forward alongside Tennessee Wesleyan, Milligan, and SCAD Atlanta as the AAC men's tournament moved on from Monday's opening matches at Champions Club.