FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Florida Gulf Coast University men's tennis team opened up their fall season at the Bedford Cup (Sept. 26-28) and the ITA Southeast Regional (Oct. 8-13). The Eagles had strong showings at both tournaments, setting a positive tone for the remainder of the fall season.
BEDFORD CUP
SINGLES
Hugo Magnusson led the way with a deep run in the singles main draw. After defeating Kartik Mandla (Stetson) 6-3, 6-1 in the opening round, Magnusson advanced through tough matches, including a quarterfinal win over Florida State's Justin Lyons (6-4, 6-4). His impressive streak ended in the semifinals, where he fell to FSU's Mohammad Alkotop 6-2, 6-1.
Tanner Povey also had a strong singles performance, winning his opening match against Miami's Saud Alhogbani (6-4, 6-4) and reaching the Round of 16 before falling to UCF's Nicolas Oliveira. He later captured an extra-quarterfinal victory over Miami's Mehdi Sadaoui (6-3, 1-6, 10-7).
In the consolation bracket,
Jonathan Baron and
Stavros Hadjivarnava advanced through multiple rounds, earning straight-set wins to end their weekends on a high note.
DOUBLES
The highlight of the tournament for FGCU came in doubles play. The pair of
Jonathan Baron and
Tanner Povey reached the finals after posting key wins over Florida State (8-3) and UCF (8-7). Their strong chemistry carried them through several tiebreaks before falling just short in the championship match to Florida State's Alkotop and Rusher, 8-6.
Meanwhile,
Hugo Magnusson and
Gustav Hasslegren also impressed, reaching the quarterfinals with a win over Miami before bowing out in a tight match.
In consolation doubles,
Pablo Paternostro and
Mika Bunjes made an excellent run to the semifinals, defeating Stetson's Kuehne and Maftei 8-4.
ITA SOUTHEAST REGIONALS
SINGLES
In the qualifying rounds,
Stefan Correa and
Pablo Paternostro advanced with strong early performances. Correa opened with a decisive 6-4, 6-1 win over Stetson's Marc Saura before falling in the next round to USF's Timeo Gaillard. Paternostro dominated his opener against FAU's Marek Pazdera (6-1, 6-1) but came up short in a three-set battle against Georgia Southern's Davis Taylor.
Hugo Magnusson,
Tanner Povey, and
Harry Michalowski competed in the main draw. Magnusson fell to UCF's Clement Lemire, and Povey was defeated by USF's Francisco Llanes. In the consolation draw, the Eagles bounced back, with Magnusson earning an impressive win over nationally ranked #115 Gabriele Brancatelli (FSU) 6-3, 6-4, while Povey battled past FSU's Justin Lyons in a 4-6, 6-2, 10-6 comeback. Michalowski also recorded a convincing 6-1, 6-1 victory over Kennesaw State's Nathan Walters.
DOUBLES
In doubles play, Jonthan Baron and
Tanner Povey once again proved to be a strong pairing. After advancing past Stetson via withdrawal, they secured a notable 8-4 win over Florida's Jeremy Jin and Kevin Edengren in the Round of 32. Their run ended in the Round of 16 against nationally ranked Florida State duo #43 Luis Felipe Miguel and Erik Schiessl, who defeated them 8-6 in a tight match.
Head Coach
Josh Molino - "I'm proud of the way we competed over the past few weeks at the Bedford Cup and the ITA Southeast Regional. Both tournaments are loaded with some of the best players and teams in the country, so it's a legit opportunity to find out who we are as a group and what they say about this group of Eagles.
We made significant strides in our all around performances this year at Bedford Cup, the signature result came from the doubles team of
Jonathan Baron and
Tanner Povey as they reached the championship match. Good vibes also from
Gustav Hasslegren and
Mika Bunjes, as they got their first wins off injured reserve in 18 months!
At the ITA Southeast Regional, Baron and Povey showed again that they are a top 15 team in the southeast region as they made it to the round of 16 and lost to eventual champion Florida State. As a group, this tournament gave us a wake up call, as to how these national powers prepare and compete, and what it will take for us to regain control of the Atlantic Sun. Looking forward to the Fall Individuals in Jacksonville and then finishing the fall at home at the Bonita Bay and Pelican Bay Collegiate Invitationals."
The Eagles prepare for competition at the Fall Individuals, taking place Oct. 24-26 in Jacksonville, Fla.
To stay up-to-date on the Eagles, be sure to follow on Instagram and X at FGCU_MTennis.
