CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Representing the Gustavus men’s tennis team during day one of the 2017 NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Individual Championships on Thursday, Mohanad Alhouni (Jr., Tripoli, Libya) lost in the first round of the singles draw while the duo of Alhouni and Patrick Whaling (So., Manikob Sabot, Va.) moved on to the quarterfinals of the doubles bracket with a first round victory.
In the first round of the singles draws, Alhouni was upset by Chase Lipscomb of the University of Redlands. He fell 6-7, 6-2, 6-7 as his tremendous singles season came to an end with an overall record of 34-6.
Alhouni competes in singles. (Photo courtesy of Tim Farrell, UAA)
“Mohanad competed well today,” said Head Coach Tommy Valentini. “It was a back and forth match that could have gone either way. This tournament is such a challenge and certainly a 7-6 in third loss here against a string opponent who played extremely well takes nothing away from Mohanad’s great season and the progress he made.”
Alhouni and Whaling then paired up in the afternoon to compete against Joey Dulle and Jake Ly of Redlands in the first round of the 16-team doubles draw. They took down Dulle/Ly 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the quarterfinals and improve their record to 22-9 on the season.
“In the doubles, they played at a very high level and handled the moment with poise and belief,” Valentini commented. “Their energy was great and they executed the game plan well. We’re grateful for a result that matches their effort today, and look forward to another great challenge tomorrow.”
Tomorrow afternoon, the Gusties will face the duo of Lubomir Cuba and William De Quant of Middlebury College at 4:30 p.m. eastern time. The doubles pairs previously faced each other in the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinal and once more during the regular season, Middlebury prevailing both times.