Date Posted: 4/20/2007

Johnson City, Tenn. - No. 1 seed ETSU kicked off the Atlantic Sun Men's Tennis Championships with a 4-0 victory over No. 8 seed Lipscomb. The bucs made quick work of the Bisons, not losing one game in singles play. ETSU's doubles teams won 8-3 and 8-1 to win the doubles point.

ETSU advances to play the winner of No. 4 Gardner-Webb and No. 5 Jacksonville. The No. 1 seed Buccaneers lost to fourth-seeded Belmont in last year's championship.

Atlantic Sun Player of the Year, Hicham Laalej, and No. 2 seed Stetson beat the seventh-seeded Mercer Bears 4-0 on Friday afternoon to advance to the semifinals.

The Hatters won both closely contested doubles matches by scores of 9-7 and 8-5. A-Sun Player of the Year, Hicham Laalej beat Tobias Ohrstrom 7-5, 6-5. Stetson's No. 2 player, Filip Kricka bounced Patrick Russo 6-2, 6-3. Finishing off the Bears was the Hatters No. 4 player, Joey Jones. Jones defeated Nathan Starr 6-0, 6-3.

Stetson moves on to play t he winner of No. 3 Campbell and No. 6 Belmont at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.

The No. 6 seed Belmont Bruins because the first lower seed to win at the Atlantic Sun Championships ousting No. 3 seed Campbell 4-1.

Campbell won the No. 3 doubles match 8-1, but the Bruins won the doubles point by winning the other two matches 8-5 and 8-1. The Fighting Camels singles win came courtesy of No. 6 singles player Sebastian Thesleff. Thesleff beat Zach Zola 6-2, 6-2. Belmont's No. 2 singles, Javier Rodriguez defeated Marc Sifre 6-4, 6-1. Fausto Rocha collected a 6-1, 6-4 win over Campbell's Artoym Starkov at No. 3 singles. Belmont's Ignacio Gesto, playing No. 5 singles, clinched the Bruins victory with a 6-4, 0-6, 6-3 win over Viktor Taune of Campbell. The unfinished matches between Gabriel Delarue and Alex Gillott and Vasja Gorjup and Felipe Abreu were all in the third set.

Belmont advances to face No. 2 seed Stetson in Saturday's final match at 3:00 p.m.

The No. 5 seed Jacksonville Dolphins survived a comeback bid by the No. 4 seed Gardner-Webb Bulldogs and advanced to the semifinals with a 4-3 victory.

The Dolphins took the doubles point with victories by their No. 1 and No. 2 doubles teams (8-4, 8-6). Jacksonville then won two of the first three singles matches completed to jump out to a 3-1 lead. Gardner-Webb won the next two matches completed to tie the match at three a piece. The deciding match was a classic.

Francisco Riveroll of Jacksonville outlasted Gardner-Webb's Roberto Vasques in a 3-setter under the lights. Riveroll won 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(7-5). The tiebreaker was tied at 5-5, before Riveroll tallied the final two points for the deciding match. After the final point, Riveroll;s teammates stormed the court to congratulate him on his three-set win.

Jacksonville advances to face the No. 1 seed ETSU Buccaneers at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Related Links:
 • Men's Championship Coverage
 • Women's Championship Coverage