Bondar and Clark Advance to the Finals
ATLANTA, Ga. – The University of Miami men’s tennis team returned to the courts Saturday, at the Georgia Tech Fall Invitational held at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex in Atlanta.
Junior classmates Nile Clark and Kevin Bondar opened the morning against Jake Bhangdia and Sunay Bhat of Furman. The duo walked away with an 8-5 victory in the West Division III consolation semifinals. They will return to battle tomorrow at 9 a.m., against Tennessee’s Srdjan Jakovljevic and Luca Wiedenmann in the finals.
Along with Clark and Bondar, in the doubles consolation bracket, junior Niclas Genovese and sophomore Dane Dunlap faced off against Jakovljevic and Wiedenmann in the semifinals, falling, 8-3. Genovese and Dunlap will return to the court tomorrow at 9 a.m. against Tennessee’s Sunay Bhat and Furman’s Jake Bhangdia.
In the Division III singles bracket, Clark faced the second seed out of Auburn, Brandon Laubser, in the quarterfinals. The Philadelphia native fought hard taking the opening set to a tiebreaker, but dropping the first set 7-6 (8-6). In the second set Clark fell 6-2.
In the North semifinal consolation match, Clark faced Vanderbilt’s Alex Ross. Clark dropped the match, 6-4, 6-4. Clark will return to action at 9:45 a.m. tomorrow in the Northwest consolation final against Alex Steryous of Furman.
In the consolation singles bracket Genovese earned a bid into the semifinals, recording a walkover win against Tennessee’s Preston Touliatos. In the semifinals, the native of Switzerland battled Furman’s Jake Bhangdia for three sets. Genovese dropped the first set 6-2, before evening the match with a 6-7 (2-7) tiebreaker victory in the second set. Bhangdia, however, won the match after taking the third set, 6-2
In the quarterfinals, Bondar also challenged Bhangdia, falling, 6-2, 6-3. In the Division III South semifinals, Bondar was set to face Touliatos, but earned a spot in the finals due to a walkover.
In the Southwest consolation final, Genovese will face Jake Munns of Furman at 9:45 a.m. Simultaneously, Bondar will battle Tennessee’s Bhat.
“It was a tough day for us. We were up and down throughout the day and at critical moments we found ways to lose points and matches. As a team we need to get tougher, we need to compete better,” head coach Aljosa Piric said. “For the four guys in Atlanta, tomorrow is an opportunity to finish this tournament on a good note.”
The tournament features three draws, with each player competing in four singles matches and three doubles matches. On Sunday, play will conclude with one round of doubles and one round of singles.
To keep up to date with the men’s tennis team, follow the squad on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @CanesMensTennis.
FRIDAY RESULTS
East Division III Singles (Round of 16)
[1-seed] Tate Allwardt (Georgia Tech) def. Kevin Bondar (Miami), 6-2, 7-5
Mario Paccini (Vanderbilt) def. Niclas Genovese (Miami), 6-3, 6-2
Nile Clark (Miami) def. Vikram Chari (Vanderbilt), 6-4, 6-1
East Division III Doubles (Quarterfinals)
Vikram Chari/Alex Ross (Vanderbilt) def. Niclas Genovese/Dane Dunlap (Miami), 8-6
Trevor Croyder/Clarke Wilson (Furman) def. Kevin Bondar/Nile Clark (Miami), 8-3
SATURDAY SCHEDULE
East Division III Singles (Quarterfinals)
[2-seed] Brandon Laubser (Auburn) def. Nile Clark (Miami), 7-6 (8-6), 6-2
North Division III Singles Consolation (Semifinals)
Alex Ross (Vanderbilt) def. Nile Clark (Miami), 6-4, 6-4
West Division III Singles Consolation (Quarterfinals)
Jake Bhangdia (Furman) def. Kevin Bondar (Miami), 6-2, 6-3
Niclas Genovese (Miami) def. Preston Touliatos (Tennessee), walkover
West Division III Singles Consolation (Semifinals)
Jake Bhangdia (Furman) def. Niclas Genovese (Miami), 6-2, 6-7 (2-7), 6-2
South Division III Singles Consolation (Semifinals)
Kevin Bondar (Miami) def. Preston Touliatos (Tennessee), walkover
West Division III Doubles Consolation (Semifinals)
Kevin Bondar/Nile Clark (Miami) def. Jake Bhangdia (Furman) and Sunay Bhat (Tennessee), 8-5
Srdjan Jakovljevic/Luca Wiedenmann (Tennessee) def. Niclas Genovese/Dane Dunlap (Miami), 8-3
SUNDAY SCHEDULE
South Division III Singles Consolation (Finals)
9:45 a.m. – Kevin Bondar (Miami) vs. Sunay Bhat (Tennessee)
Northwest Division III Singles Consolation (Finals)
9:45 a.m. – Nile Clark (Miami) vs. Alex Steryous (Furman)
Southwest Division III Singles Consolation (Finals)
9:45 a.m. – Niclas Genovese (Miami) vs. Jake Munns (Furman)
West Division III Doubles Consolation (Finals)
9 a.m. – Kevin Bondar/Nile Clark (Miami) vs. Srdjan Jakovljevic/Luca Wiedenmann (Tennessee)
Northwest Division III Doubles Consolation (Finals)
9 a.m. – Niclas Genovese/Dane Dunlap (Miami) vs. Jake Bhangdia (Furman) and Sunay Bhat (Tennessee)
