Alhouni, Saenz Fall In NCAA Individual Championships

Tournament Results

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Gustavus Adolphus College men’s tennis players Andres Saenz (Sr., Cancun, Mexico) and Mohanad Alhouni (So., Tripoli, Libya) suffered a pair of losses Thursday in the 2016 NCAA Individual Championships that were played at Stowe Stadium at Kalamazoo College. In doubles, Saenz and Alhouni were defeated by Scott Rubinstein and James Spaulding of Emory University 6-2, 6-1, and in singles, Alhouni fell to Steven Chen of Wesleyan College by a 6-4, 6-0 count. 

“It was certainly not the day we had hoped for in terms of results, but I was proud of how Mohanad and Andres competed,” said Coach Tommy Valentini.

This marks the second consecutive season that a pair of Gusties earned a trip to the NCAA Individual Doubles Championships and is also the second year in a row Alhouni was selected to compete in the singles draw. Motasem Alhouni ’15 and Saenz advanced to the second round in the doubles draw last season, while Mohanad Alhouni was defeated in the first round of the singles bracket.

“Mo continues to make competitive strides and has grown tremendously in terms of his poise and ability to execute his game plan,” said Valentini. “He has a bright future ahead of him and competing in this event will be another motivating and experience-building part of his development.”

Alhouni and Saenz’s doubles loss also marks the last career match for the senior Saenz. The Cancun native finishes his career with a doubles record of 73-28, a singles mark of 44-21, and could down as one of the most improved players in the history of the program.

“Andres has been remarkable for us since he arrived at Gustavus,” concluded Valentini. “He’s a young man of tremendous character. I feel for him that he and Mohanad weren’t able to make a deep run to finish his career, but that cannot overshadow what he has accomplished and, more importantly, what he has meant to our program. It has been an honor to coach him and to have him in our family.”