LAKELAND, Fla. – The Lynn University men's tennis team opened play at the ITA South Regional Championships, winning the doubles tournament. The Fighting Knights were led by junior Gianmarco Amatiste and graduate Jonathane Olive-Blanco, who brought home the doubles championship.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Doubles:
- Amatiste and Olive-Blanco dominated the first round, defeating Montevallo's Iverasson and Zehender 8-3
- The duo continued its momentum, upsetting Barry's Ferreira and Reime in the round of 16 [8-5]
- Amatiste and Olive-Blanco survived a scare in the quarterfinals against AUM's Gurariente and Bonaitui [8-7], but the victory punched a ticket to the semifinals
- Lynn's duo cruised to a match win in the semifinal, defeating Valdosta State's Wedel and Skierkier 8-4, earning a visit to the final
- The pair's dominance continued into the final, where they defeated Saint Leo's Bacella and Mensour (6-2, 6-2), winning the tournament
- Sophomore Yaron Guberman and junior Gabriele Felline dropped its opening matchup to Mississippi's Jarvis and Saint Martin, 4-8
Singles:
- Amatiste cruised to victory in the round of 64 with a 6-3, 6-2 over Montevallo's Lazarides
- The junior followed up that performance with a three-set victory over the top-seeded Soukal of Saint Leo
- Amatiste fell to Embry-Riddle's Nuyts in the round of 16 [3-6, 1-6], ending an exceptional run for the junior
- Olive-Blanco dominated the first round [6-0, 6-1], but fell in the round of 32 to Barry's Joao Ferreira [6-7, 3-6]
- Guberman won the opening matchup 6-4, 6-1 but lost a heartbreaker in the second round [3-6, 6-2, 8-10]
- Felline earned a victory in the first round [6-7, 6-2, 11-9] but fell to Saint Leo's Theil in the Round of 32 [2-6, 2-6]
UP NEXT
- The Fighting Knights will travel to Rome, Ga. to compete in the ITA Cup on Thursday, Oct. 12.
