Bulldogs win three-of-four singles draws at UConn Invite

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University men's tennis team had a dominant showing at the UConn Invitational this past weekend, earning main draw victories in A, B and D singles.

Main draw A singles saw a Bryant v. Bryant final, as redshirt-sophomore Matt Kuhar (Smithfield, R.I.) and junior Josh Kliger (Newport Beach, Calif.) worked their way through the bracket to meet in the unfinished A singles championship. Freshman Guido Argentini (Boca Raton, Fla.) and Jorge Isaias Ortiz-Garcia (Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico) made their debut in Black and Gold, starting their Bryant careers off with B and D singles titles, respectively. Jorge Isaias Ortiz-Garcia faced off in the tournament's second all-Bryant finale, as he faced off with senior John Templeman (Midland, Michigan) in his, 3-6, 6-3, 10-7, victory.

"Capturing the A, B and D main draws and competing well in all back draws was what we needed to do," said head coach Ron Gendron. "Kuhar and Kliger's ability to secure both halves of the A draw, along with Guido's win in the B flight was very exciting."

After a more challenging first round, Kuhar cruised by Bentley's Brendan McCarthy, 6-0, 6-1, and UConn's Parker Goldstein, 6-2, 6-2, en route to the undetermined Bryant final. On the other side of the draw, Kliger defeated Boston University's Lucas Bombonatti, 6-4, 6-4, in the quarterfinals and UConn's Justin Warren in a three-game semifinal, 4-6, 6-4, 10-6.

Argentini received a first-round bye in the tournament and then went on to defeat competitors from BU and UConn, before trumping Quinnipiac's Axel Stern, 6-4, 6-7, 10-8, in the B singles final.

Like Argentini, Templeman received a first-round bye. The senior opened up singles play with a win over Quinnipiac's Jackson Koke, 3-6, 6-3, 15-13, before defeating UConn's Arnaud Valentin, 6-1, 6-1, in the D singles quarterfinal. Templeman collided with Jorge Isaias Ortiz-Garcia in the finals, where the upperclassman fell to the freshman in three games, 3-6, 6-3, 10-7. Jorge Isaias Ortiz-Garcia moved past players from Merrimack, UConn and Quinnipiac before he defeated Templeman in the finals.

After a quarterfinal loss to Quinnipiac's Austin Yanonne in the main draw, who went on to win the C singles, junior Luke Lorenz (Colorado Springs, Colo.) won the consolation C singles flight over UConn's Hank Hill, 7-6 (4), 5-7, 10-8. In similar fashion, sophomore Scott Plutt (Weston, Fla.) fell to Quinnipiac's Patrick Cachapero, 6-4, 3-6, 12-10, in the D singles quarterfinals, but came back to win the consolation draw over Koke, 7-5, 7-6 (6).

Four-of-five Bryant doubles teams advanced to the second round of doubles play, but it was the duo of seniors Corey DiPaola (Lincoln, R.I.) and Templeman that played their way into the B doubles semifinals. The Bryant pair fell in the semis to Quinnipiac's Ryoma Haraguchi and Cachapero, 6-3, who went on to win the B doubles final.

"I am pleased with the way we progressed through the weekend," said Gendron. "Overall it was a solid team effort and we now know what we need to focus on. Our freshmen looked great and it is good to have Kuhar back. It looks to be a fun season!"

Next on the slate for the Bulldogs is the Ivy Plus Tournament, beginning Friday, September 23.