COLUMBUS, Ga. – No. 2 (ITA Collegiate Division II rankings) Flagler College won its 13
th match in a row as it defeated No. 6 Columbus State University 4-2 in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament championship match Sunday afternoon at the John W. Walden Tennis Center.
Flagler won its first PBC Tournament title and improved to 17-2 overall. The Saints received the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Division II Tournament and will play in one of the preliminaries, scheduled for May 13-14. Columbus State, who won the previous six tournament titles, fell to 13-7 and will have to wait to see if it will receive an at-large berth. The field will be announced on May 6 at 8 p.m.
The doubles were split until the No. 46-ranked tandem of
Ilian Borlee and
Baptiste Mercier knocked off the No. 23-ranked duo of Camilo Cano and Justin Welz.
Simon Malis and
Philipp Lemken, ranked No. 33, triumphed over Felix Steen and Thomas Cardona, 6-1.
The Cougars won the first two singles matches to take a 2-1 lead, but Lemken followed with a 7-6(3), 6-4 victory to tie the team score. Borlee out-lasted Daniel Hammond 7-6(5) and 6-4 for his 12
th consecutive win. Mercier, ranked No. 9, ended the match with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 triumph over Cardona.
Mercier was named the tournament's most valuable singles player while Malis and Lemken were named the most valuable doubles team.
#2 Flagler 4, #6 Columbus State 2
4/28/24 at Columbus, Ga. (John W. Walden Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. Justin Welz (CSU-M24) def. #16
Jacopo Denitto (FLG) 6-1, 6-0
2. #9
Baptiste Mercier (FLG) def. Thomas Cardona (CSU-M24) 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
3. Camilo Cano (CSU-M24) def. #75
Simon Malis (FLG) 6-0, 6-4
4.
Ilian Borlee (FLG) def. Daniel Hammond (CSU-M24) 7-6 (7-5), 6-4
5.
Philipp Lemken (FLG) def. Andreas Sandrone (CSU-M24) 7-6 (7-3), 6-4
6.
Aly El Rafie (FLG) vs. Elias Peter (CSU-M24) 4-6, 5-5, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. #33
Simon Malis/
Philipp Lemken (FLG) def. Felix Steen/Thomas Cardona (CSU-M24) 6-1
2. #46
Ilian Borlee/
Baptiste Mercier (FLG) def. #23 Camilo Cano/Justin Welz (CSU-M24) 6-3
3. Andreas Sandrone/Elias Peter (CSU-M24) def.
Jacopo Denitto/
Max Berner (FLG) 6-3
Match Notes
Columbus State 13-7; National ranking #6
Flagler 17-2; National ranking #2
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (1,3,5,4,2)
Peach Belt Conference Tournament - Championship
#2 Columbus State vs. #1 Flagler
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