Wallin and Luis Highlight Bruins’ Friday Play at ITA Regionals

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Seniors Alfred Wallin and Tomas Luis highlighted Belmont University men's tennis' Friday at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Ohio Valley Regional Championships in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Both won main draw singles matches as Wallin advanced to the round of 16.
 
The Bruins got only one doubles match in Friday at the Champions Club Tennis Complex at Rivermont Park and junior Ruben Busch's consolation singles match has been pushed to Saturday.
 
Butler's Borja Miralles was no match for Wallin in the singles round of 64 where Wallin cruised to a 6-2, 6-1 win. Seeded 14th in the draw, Wallin continued his strong play in the round of 32 where he earned a convincing 6-1 opening set against the University of Kentucky's Matthew Rankin. After dropping the second set 6-2, Wallin advanced with a 6-4 decisive third-set victory. He will take on Middle Tennessee State University's Karim Al-Amin Saturday at 11 a.m. CT in the main draw round of 16.
 
Seventeenth-seeded Luis also captured a straight-set round of 64 win, dismissing Tennessee State's Taj Hibbert 6-4, 6-3. Against eighth-seeded Ondrej Horak of Middle Tennessee in the round of 32, Luis claimed the first set 6-3 but was unable to finish things in either of the next two sets. Horak took sets two and three, 6-1, 6-2.
 
Junior Gabriel Sardo advanced to the singles consolation bracket round of 32 with a walkover Friday. He'll face Xavier's Ryan Cahill Saturday at 11:30 a.m. CT, while Busch goes up against Ball State's Mason Tran in the consolation draw at 10:30 a.m. CT.
 
Doubles play for Belmont Saturday will begin at 2 p.m. CT with a pair of consolation matches, which were originally scheduled for Friday.
 
The Bruins' full results from Friday and Saturday's schedule of play can be found below.
 
2023 ITA Ohio Valley Regional Championships – Friday's Results/Saturday's Matchups
 
Doubles
R32 – Mika Berghaus/Moritz Kudernatsch (Memphis) def. No. 9 Alfred Wallin/Ian Cruz (Belmont) 8-3
Consolation R32-Q – Gabriel Sardo/Ruben Busch (Belmont) vs. Sam Reeve/Pau Fanlo (Memphis) – 2 p.m. CT Saturday
Consolation R32-Q – Tomas Luis/Diego Castro (Belmont) vs. Moritz Mayer/Paul-Antoine Brazet (Eastern Kentucky) – 2 p.m. CT Saturday
 
Singles
R64 – No. 17 Tomas Luis (Belmont) def. Taj Hibbert (Tennessee State) 6-4, 6-3
R64 – Igor Mandou Berranger (MTSU) def. No. 17 Ian Cruz (Belmont) 7-5, 6-3
R64 – No. 14 Alfred Wallin (Belmont) def. Borja Miralles (Butler) 6-2, 6-1
R32 – No. 8 Ondrej Horak (MTSU) def. No. 17 Tomas Luis (Belmont) 3-6, 6-1, 6-2
R32 – No. 14 Alfred Wallin (Belmont) def. Matthew Rankin (Kentucky) 6-1, 2-6, 6-4
R16 – No. 14 Alfred Wallin (Belmont) vs. Karim Al-Amin (MTSU) – 11 a.m. CT Saturday
Consolation R64-Q – Adam Nagoudi (ETSU) def. Niklas von Hellens (Belmont) 6-2, 6-3
Consolation R64-Q – Gabriel Sardo (Belmont) def. Vineet Ramesh (Bellarmine) by walkover (injury)
Consolation R64-Q – No. 17 Filip Apltauer (Tennessee) def. Diego Castro (Belmont) 6-4, 6-2
Consolation R64-Q – Ruben Busch (Belmont) vs. Mason Tran (Ball State) – 10:30 a.m. CT Saturday
Consolation R32 – Gabriel Sardo (Belmont) vs. Ryan Cahill (Xavier) – 11:30 a.m. CT Saturday
 
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