Bracket | Tournament Central | Results
 
WEST WINDSOR, N.J. – The Saint Francis men's tennis team, the third seed, earned a 4-2 win over Fairleigh Dickinson, the second seed, on Saturday in its NEC Semifinals match at the Mercer County Tennis Center.  The Red Flash won the doubles point and three singles matches.  SFU improved to 14-8 overall.
 
Saint Francis advanced to its first NEC Championship match in program history.  The Red Flash will battle top-seed Bryant at 9 a.m. on Sunday.  The winner will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
 
"I'm really pleased with how the guys competed today," said Head Coach Rob Castille. "They came out in doubles with a lot of energy and confidence and were able to take the point. They carried that momentum into singles and played smart, controlled, aggressive tennis."
 
At the top doubles spot, sophomore Alec Dylan Foo-Kune (Phoenix, Mauritius/International Connections Academy (Md.)) and senior Washi Gervais (Longueuil, Quebec/College Stanislas) competed against the Knights' Gonzalo Quintana and Jacob Whalley.  The Red Flash duo earned a 6-2 victory.
 
Junior Rodrigo Tico (Guadalajara, Mexico/Colegio de Bachilleres) and freshman Robin van der Heijden (Burgh Haamstede, Netherlands/Scheldmond College) took on Pedro Carvalho and Diogo Garnel at the No. 2 position.  However, Tico and van der Heijden fell 6-3 to make No. 3 the deciding match.
 
Junior Plamen Avuski (Plovdiv, Bulgaria /Math High School ) and freshman Jan Vit Suntar (Cerklje na Gorenjskem, Slovenia/Gimnazija Kranj) lined up at No. 3 against Adam Chan and Kiran Mani.  In a thrilling set, the Red Flash came out on top 7-6, including 7-3, in the tiebreaker to clinch the doubles point.
 
Gervais battled Whalley at the top singles spot.  The SFU senior won a tight opening set, 7-5.  The second set was even tighter, coming down to a tiebreaker, which Gervais won 8-6 to take the set, 7-6.  Gervais' win clinched the match point for the Red Flash.
 
At the No. 2 position, Foo-Kune met Chan.  The Red Flash sophomore claimed the opening set, 6-1.  Foo-Kune was leading the next set, 5-1, when Chan retired.
 
The SFU rookie, Suntar, competed at No. 4 against FDU's Carvalho.  Suntar took a tough first set, 7-6, with a 7-4 victory in the tiebreaker.  He completed the straight-set win with a 6-2 second set.
 
Tico faced the Knights' Quintana at the third position.  The SFU junior fell 7-5 in a tight first set.  Quintana won the next set, 6-3, to earn the point.
 
At No. 5, Avuski took on Garnel.  However, the Red Flash junior dropped a 6-4, 6-2 decision.
 
In the sixth spot, van der Heijden competed against William Bourne.  After dropping the first set, 7-6, in a tight 12-10 tiebreaker, van der Heijden was leading the second set, 5-0, when the match was stopped.
 
"Fairleigh Dickinson is such a well-established, solid program," said Castille. "We've lost to them the past two years in this same round, so we knew we would have to play well in order to get over the hump. We know things don't get any easier tomorrow against a strong Bryant team. I like the way we are playing and competing and we'll be ready to go."
 
Doubles:
1. Foo-Kune/Gervais(SFU) def. Quintana/Whalley(FDU), 6-2.
2. Carvalho/Garnel(FDU) def. Tico/van der Heijden(SFU), 6-3.
3. Avuski/Suntar(SFU) def. Chan/Mani(FDU), 7-6(3). 
 
Singles:
1. Gervais(SFU) def. Whalley(FDU), 7-5, 7-6(6).
2. Foo-Kune(SFU) def. Chan(FDU), 6-1, 5-1, retired.
3. Quintana(FDU) def. Tico(SFU), 7-5, 6-3.
4. Suntar(SFU) def. Carvalho(FDU), 7-6(4), 6-2.
5. Garnel(FDU) def. Avuski(SFU), 6-4, 6-2.
6. van der Heijden(SFU) vs. Bourne(FDU), 6-7(10), 5-0, unfinished.