Men’s Tennis Gets Three Through Singles Qualifying Thursday at ITA Regional Championships

COLLEGE GROVE, Tenn. – A trio of Belmont University men's tennis players got through singles qualifying Thursday at the 2026 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Ohio Valley Regional Championships at the Farm & Forge Club in College Grove, Tennessee. Freshman Jesús Garcia Salgado, sophomore Cagan Efe Tufekci and junior Kostiantyn Mantach all won both their first and second-round qualifying singles matches in straight sets.
 
As a whole, the Bruins went 7-2 on the day, including 4-0 in first-round qualifying matches.
 
"The guys did a great job handling the start of singles this morning and continuing the momentum throughout the day," spoke head coach Jeff Cero. "This tournament is not easy by any means and even more so coming off a longer weekend. I was really proud of the effort and mental fortitude from the guys today."
 
Salgado handled Indiana's Zavier Augustin 8-6 in an opening set tiebreaker and cruised to a 6-2 set two win in his first-round match, before dispatching Louisville's Artem Dmytrenko 6-1, 6-4.
 
Seeded eighth in the qualifying draw, Efe Tufekci defeated Tennessee Tech's Kai-Jacques Inoue in quick order, 6-0, 6-3, in the first round and got past Tennessee State's Adler Germinal 6-4, 7-6 (4) in the second round.
 
Mantach cruised in his first-round match, routing Louisville's Louis Chusseau 6-1, 6-1 before topping 16th-seeded Karan Raghavendra of Indiana 6-3, 6-4 in round two of qualifying.
 
Junior Morgan Woodson also won his first-round qualifying match as he took care of Indiana University Indianapolis' Cameron Kryscio 6-4, 6-3. However, Woodson was unable to get past third-seeded Jakub Prachar of East Tennessee State University in the second round.
 
Belmont has four tandems in the doubles draw, which will get underway Friday morning at 9 a.m.
 
Friday will also feature the first round of the singles main draw, which includes junior Charlie Robin in addition to Salgado, Efe Tufekci and Mantach.
 
"Doubles will be a good challenge going against some tough pairings but I'm excited for it," continued coach Cero. "I'm looking forward to seeing how we do."
 
Thursday Results
 
Singles
Q-R64 - Jesús Garcia Salgado (Belmont) def. Zavier Augustin (Indiana), 7-6 (6), 6-2
Q-R64 - (8) Cagan Efe Tufekci (Belmont) def. Kai-Jacques Inoue (Tennessee Tech), 6-0, 6-3
Q-R64 - Morgan Woodson (Belmont) def. Cameron Kryscio (IU Indy), 6-4, 6-3
Q-R64 - Kostiantyn Mantach (Belmont) def. Louis Chusseau (Louisville), 6-1, 6-1
Q-R32 - Jesús Garcia Salgado (Belmont) def. Artem Dmytrenko (Louisville), 6-1, 6-4
Q-R32 - (8) Cagan Efe Tufekci (Belmont) def. Adler Germinal (Tennessee State), 6-4, 7-6 (4)
Q-R32 - Kostiantyn Mantach (Belmont) def. (16) Karan Raghavendra (Indiana), 6-3, 6-4
Q-R32 - (3) Jakub Prachar (ETSU) def. Morgan Woodson (Belmont), 6-3, 6-2
CQ-R32 - Owen Nguyen (IU Indy) def. Esteban Ortiz (Belmont), 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 (10-8)
 
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