Aggie Invitational Draws (through day two)
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Two of the five NM State men's tennis players competing in the Aggie Invitational advanced to the singles championship bout of their respective brackets Saturday at the NM State Tennis Complex.
DOUBLES
• In their first match of the fall, Louis Menard and Martin Simecek went toe-to-toe with the Abilene Christian pairing of Mihaly Deli and Jose Rastrojo, but the Wildcats' tandem made all the right moves down the stretch. Menard and Simecek dropped an 8-6 decision to their ACU foes, sending them to the third-place match of the first Crimson flight.
• Hoping to punch a ticket to the first Crimson flight semifinals, the Aggies' other doubles tandem of Gijs Akkermans and Corey Clarke instead fell victim to Northern Arizona's team of Daniel Dillon and Maciej Ziomber. Akkermans and Clarke were narrowly outplayed by an 8-7 (7-5) score and will play for a fifth-place finish Sunday morning.
SINGLES
• Menard continued rolling through singles play in the first Crimson flight bracket. The Frenchman scored a 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 triumph over Abilene Christian's Savan Chabra to move on to the first Crimson flight championship match.
• Hopes of an all-Aggies championship match on the first Crimson flight bracket were dashed when Simecek found himself on the wrong end of a 6-2, 6-2 result against Lamar's Daniel Sanco Arbizu. Simecek will try to secure a third-place finish Sunday morning when he battles Chabra.
• Another Aggie, Akkermans, enjoyed a highly productive Saturday in order to move on to the championship match in the second Crimson flight bracket. NM State's competitor took out Lamar's Juan Rodriguez by a 6-4, 6-4 tally to advance to Sunday morning's championship bout.
• In the back draw of the second Crimson flight bracket, Clarke picked up a 6-3, 6-1 win against Arizona Christian's Jonas Wand. Clarke is set to play for ninth place in that bracket Sunday morning.
• Ryan Ford tried to keep his success from Friday rolling, but instead fell 6-2, 6-0 to Northern Arizona's Marcus Sulen in one of the two semifinal matches. Ford will now play for a third-place finish in the third Crimson flight bracket Sunday morning.
COMING UP NEXT
• The Aggies conclude their run in the Aggie Invitational when competitor on the third and final day of the event starts at 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning.
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