RIVER FOREST, Ill. - The Western Michigan men's tennis team started off the season with an exceptional showing at the River Forest Invitational, with four players advancing to the semifinals of their respective singles brackets on the first day of the tournament. Play will continue on Saturday morning.
Standing out among the team's two newcomers was freshman Jefta Kecic, who started out his Bronco career 2-0 with a pair of singles wins in the Flight A bracket. Kecic started the day by cruising past Illinois-Chicago's Chris Cole 6-1, 6-1, and advanced further into his bracket with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Mid-American Conference foe Carlos Manzanas of Northern Illinois.
The rest of the day was dominated by players returning to the Broncos' line-up, with three veteran letterwinners advancing to their respective semifinals. Senior Pablo Mora started off his final season as a Bronco with a pair of wins, taking down Butler's Pulok Bhattacharya 7-5, 6-1 and then cruising past the Flames' Mitch Granger by a 6-1, 6-3 score to advance in the Flight B Singles bracket. Junior Andrew Cahn survived a tight match with the Huskies' Austin Russell to win 6-3, 6-3, and then brushed off Belmont's Bruno Russo in straight sets to reach the Flight C Singles semifinals.
Also moving forward in Flight C was Matt Hamilton, who staged a terrific comeback in his quarterfinal match to move on. After beating Youngstown Sate's Alberto Masso 6-3, 6-0, Hamilton came back from a 5-2 deficit in the first set against Xavier's Michael Moe to win 7-5, 7-5.
Elsewhere on the court, returning Second Team All-MAC selection Ruben Greiner won his first match of the day, beating the Penguins' Bassem El Mekawi 7-6, 6-2; Jimmy Beckwith defeated Xavier's Rob Torsch 6-1, 6-0; and Stephen Payne dispatched the Musketeers' Arthur Stefani in a third-set tiebreaker, 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (3).
Flight A Singles
Jefta Kecic (WMU) def. Chris Cole (UIC) 6-1, 6-1
Jefta Kecic (WMU) def. Carlos Manzanas (NIU) 6-2, 6-4
Ruben Greiner (WMU) def. Bassem El Mekawi (YSU) 7-6, 6-2
Marko Lovrinovic (Belmont) def. Ruben Greiner (WMU) 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (4)
Flight B Singles
Cedric Dujacquier (Belmont) def. Maik Steiner (WMU) 6-0, 3-6, 1-0 (5)
Pablo Mora (WMU) def. Pulok Bhattacharya (Butler) 7-5, 6-1
Pablo Mora (WMU) def. Mitch Granger (UIC) 6-1, 6-3
Flight C Singles
Andrew Cahn (WMU) def. Austin Russell (NIU) 6-3, 6-3
Andrew Cahn (WMU) def. Bruno Russo (Belmont) 6-2, 6-0
Matt Hamilton (WMU) def. Albert Masso (YSU) 6-3, 6-0
Matt Hamilton (WMU) def. Michael Moe (XU) 7-5, 7-5
Exhibition Singles
Arthur Stefani (XU) def. Marc Shideler (WMU) 5-7, 6-0, 1-0 (8)
Jimmy Beckwith (WMU) def. Rob Torsch (XU) 6-1, 6-0
Stephen Payne (WMU) def. Arthur Stefani (XU) 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (3)
Connor LaFavre (XU) def. Jimmy Beckwith (WMU) 6-3, 6-0
