COLUMBUS, Ga. – For the second match in a row, the No. 6 Flagler College men's tennis team rallied to take down No. 16 Lander University, 4-2, to advance to the Peach Belt Conference Tournament Championship at the John W. Walden Tennis Center Saturday afternoon.
This match started the same way as when these two teams clashed last week at the Flagler Tennis Center, with the Bearcats gaining the opening point by claiming two of the three matches. The lone Saint doubles win came at second doubles with
Nikita Tatyanin and
Jagger Ong-Patzwald winning 6-1.
Flagler took the lead 2-1 by the way of the first two singles matches going in its favor. No. 40 Del Granado once again dispatched Lander's Bailey Horne 6-2, 6-1.
Jacopo Denitto moved up one spot from his usual position at six singles, earning the team's second point at fifth singles, winning 6-2, 6-2 to extend his singles winning streak to 14 matches.
Lemken got the Saints their third point by grinding out a 6-2, 7-6 (2) victory at fourth singles for his 14th win of the spring season. Lander got its first singles win at sixth singles, taking down Ong-Patzwald in his return to the singles lineup, 6-1, 4-6, 3-6.
All that remained was second singles, No. 37 Tatyanin, and third singles
Petr Cervinka. Cervinka clinched the match last time these two met, but this time it was Tatyanin's turn to have his court stormed by his teammates. He clinched the team's trip to the conference finals in his fifth three-set match of the year with a 4-6, 6-0, 7-5 win.
The Saints now play the host of this weekend's tournament, Columbus State University, tomorrow at 2 p.m.
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