Men's Tennis | 4/10/2026 7:00:00 AM

WEEKEND PREVIEW 
Entering the final weekend of the 2025-26 regular season, the Saint Francis men's tennis team looks to snap its six-match losing streak when it visits NEC foe Stonehill on Saturday, April 11, at the Charles Watt Tennis Courts in North Easton, Mass., with the first serve set for 11 a.m. The Red Flash will conclude the season the following day, Sunday, April 12, at Siena, with a 1:15 p.m. start at the Siena Tennis Center in Albany, N.Y.

LAST TIME OUT  
Saint Francis men's tennis dropped a 6-1 decision to Mount St. Mary's on Saturday, with sophomore Beau Welker providing the lone point by grinding out a three-set singles victory.

OPENING SERVE VS STONEHILL
After finishing the 2024-25 season with an 8-13 overall record, Stonehill went 1-4 in NEC play before falling 4-0 to LIU in the opening round of the NEC Tournament. Entering the spring portion of the 2025-26 schedule, the Skyhawks were picked to finish eighth in the NEC preseason poll, one spot behind Saint Francis in the nine-team league. Heading into this weekend, head coach Peter Miller's squad is 6-9, led by standout freshman Benjamin Beaudry, who owns a 12-7 singles mark.

THE LAST TIME WE MET ON THE COURT 
The last time these two tennis clubs squared off was last season, when the Red Flash swept Stonehill, 7-0, at Mansion Park in Altoona, Pa. Within that matchup, current sophomore Kevin Titus Suresh battled to a 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (10-8) victory in the No. 3 slot.

HEAD TO HEAD 
This marks the third meeting between the two squads in their all-time series, with the Red Flash winning the previous two.

OPENING SERVE VS SIENA
Entering this weekend's matchup with an overall record of 7-8, the Siena men's tennis team was picked to finish fourth in the MAAC preseason poll following its 6-13 2024-25 regular season. Returning from last year's squad are sophomores Bruno Loch Varella and Emilio Zavala Salinas, who have combined for a 23-14 record this season, ranking first and third on the team, respectively.

THE LAST TIME WE MET ON THE COURT 
In their last matchup, Saint Francis earned a 5-2 victory. In that contest, sophomore Levin Titus Suresh claimed the No. 4 singles match in a hard-fought 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (8-6) decision, helping secure the win for the Red Flash.

HEAD TO HEAD 
Having faced off only three times before this weekend's matchup, the Red Flash have won two of the last three encounters by a combined score of 11-3. The only loss came in 2013, when the Saints edged Saint Francis, 4-3.

AT THE HELM 
As head coach, Hovan continues his fifth season in Loretto. Very few words can describe his career other than "successful," as he's helped both the men's and women's teams reach new heights. In 2023-24, he was named NEC Coach of the Year after helping the men reach their second NEC Championship Game. Last season, the women's tennis team made the NEC Championship Game for the first time in program history.

PRESEASON POLL
After finishing 6-13 and placing seventh in conference play, the Saint Francis men's tennis team was selected to finish seventh in the NEC preseason poll, which includes nine teams. Binghamton topped the poll with seven first-place votes, followed by Fairleigh Dickinson at No. 2, which received the remaining two first-place votes.

THE KINGS COURT
Men's tennis sophomore and reigning Rookie of the Year Kevin Titus Suresh has been dominant this 2025-26 season, proving why he has earned the nickname "The King." In the fall, Suresh posted a team-high 10-6 record across six tournaments, positioning himself for a chance to claim his first NEC Singles Championship, which earned him a spot in the ITA Masters in San Diego in early November. So far during the spring, he leads the team with a 19-11 record in singles and a 13-13 record in doubles.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK 
While the Red Flash retained many key players from last year's quarterfinal team, Coach Hovan and assistant coach Palko added four first-year players: Mario Beckles (Bordentown, N.J./Bordentown Regional), Luke Mitchell (Altoona, Pa./Altoona Area), Jonah Ng (Fairview, Pa./Pennsylvania Cyber), and Deven Pandey (Bethlehem, Pa./Saucon Valley High School).