ITA Bedford Cup in the Mountains Draws (through day two)
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - One NM State men's tennis doubles team is prepping for a championship.
Gijs Akkermans and Corey Clarke went 2-0 Friday in order to advance to the doubles championship match at the ITA Bedford Cup in the Mountains.
NM State has a total of four players competing in the third and final day of action at the Air Force Intercollegiate Tennis Courts.
DOUBLES
• When it came to tandem play for the Aggies, the day belonged to Akkermans and Clarke. NM State's Dutch/Australian duo began their run to the championship match by besting Air Force's duo of Jordan Azuma and Robert Baylon by a 6-4 tally in the round of 16. With a trip to the championship match on the line, Akkermans and Clarke didn't flinch as they secured a 6-3 victory against Utah State's pairing of Sergi Fenollar and Javier Ruiz in the semifinal tilt.
• Making a bid to ensure an all-Aggie finals matchup, Louis Menard and Martin Simecek pushed their way into the semifinals by way of a 6-3 result against Air Force's Arjun Kersten and Johnny Mascagni. Unfortunately, Menard and Simecek were relegated to the third-place match after they suffered a 6-0 shutout loss to Montana State's formidable duo of Matej Panik and Daan van Dijk.
• In the back draw portion of the bracket, Ryan Ford and Air Force's Daniel Wei were on the wrong end of a 6-1 result against Denver's Patricio Garcia and Daniel Krulig. With that, Ford's run in the doubles bracket came to an end.
SINGLES
• Just one NM State competitor - Menard - remained in contention for an individual title in the Blue Draw. The Aggies' Frenchman advanced to the semifinals courtesy of a 6-3, 6-2 win over Denver's Peter Sallay, but Menard would go no farther in the main draw. His quest for an individual title was halted by Denver's James Davis who claimed a 6-2, 6-3 victory against Menard to move on to the Blue Draw title bout. With that, Menard's run in the tournament came to an end.
• Down in the Falcon Bracket of the Blue Draw, both Clarke and Simecek advanced via walkover and will play one another Saturday morning for that back draw top finish.
• Akkermans also hoped to make his way to an individual championship as he started the day in the Silver Draw quarterfinals. Though he bested Montana State's Bradley Buckland easily in the opening set, Akkermans couldn't finish him off and was eliminated via a score of 1-6, 6-4, 6-3.
COMING UP NEXT
• The third and final day of the ITA Bedford Cup in the Mountains is set for Saturday at the Air Force Intercollegiate Tennis Courts. Things get going with doubles action at 9:00 a.m. and singles bouts begin at 10:00 a.m.
• For complete coverage of NM State men's tennis throughout the 2021-22 season, visit NMStateSports.com - the official home of Aggie athletics - and follow the Aggies on Facebook (NM State Men's Tennis), Twitter (@NMStateMTEN) and Instagram (@NMStateMTEN).
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