LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State men's tennis team got off to a great start on Friday at home hosting the 2019 Aggie Invitational with five players advancing between both singles flights and two doubles teams advancing to the semifinals. Play was shortened near the end with lightning and rain forecasted the remainder of the evening.
 
With a bye in the first the Aggie team of Lucas Landaluce and Sebastian Herrera took Arizona's team of Stewart Block and Hiroki Sakagawa to the brink but ultimately fell 7-6. Senior Luis Flores and Martin Simecek got back in the groove of things and took down Abilene Christian's Savan Chhabra and Cole Stokes 7-6 before besting a second Wildcat team 6-4 to move onto the semifinals.
 
Nicolas Buitrago and freshman Timothee Curnier had their work cut out for them in the opening round and fell to New Mexico Military Institute's pair of Christopher Bulus and Emmanuel Mallya 6-4. Louis Menard and Jordy Visser was the second Aggie team to advance to the semifinals with a 6-0 victory over WNMU's team in the opening match before besting ACU's pair of Sebastian Langdon and Michael Benavides 6-2.
 
In the Crimson flight, Visser needed three sets but pulled away with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 victory against ACU's Akinori Wada. Simecek was challenged in the second set but came walked away with a convincing 6-0, 6-3 win over NMMI's Mallya. Menard rounds out the host of Aggies with victories in the Crimson flight with a dominant straight set victory against WNMU's Shaurya Piplani.
 
Herrera was the lone Aggie in the White singles flight to finish his match, besting Martin Abamu from NMMI 6-3, 6-4.
 
The six remaining singles matches that were halted due to weather will resume on Saturday, Sept. 14, at 8 a.m. (MT) followed by a round of doubles and two rounds of singles.
 
As always, admission to NM State men's and women's matches are free at the NM State Tennis Center for ALL fans.