BEAUMONT, Texas - The first step toward the NM State men's tennis team's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2018 has been taken.

There would be no upset in the WAC Tournament quarterfinals as third-seeded NM State made quick work of sixth-seeded Chicago State, shutting out the Cougars by a 4-0 score Friday morning on the opening day of the league's postseason tournament at the Beaumont Municipal Tennis Center.

DOUBLES
• It took only 30 minutes for the Aggies to open up a lead they wouldn't relinquish for the rest of the day. Itay Feigin and Martin Simecek made short work of the Cougars' Jakov Suler and Maximiliano Sandoval Dominguez, besting Chicago State's third-flight doubles pairing by a 6-2 tally.
• Up in top-flight action, Louis Menard and Jordy Visser had similar success. NM State's top-line duo secured the doubles point for the third-seeded Aggies by collecting a 6-2 triumph against Pedro Alvarez and Javier Sanchez Pradillo.

SINGLES
• Visser's success carried over into one-on-one action. The All-WAC Singles Second Team member secured his 10th dual match victory of 2022 by taking care of Jakub Zamorski by a 6-3, 6-2 tally down on line six.
• Minutes later, Gijs Akkermans grabbed hold of the first WAC Tournament win of his collegiate career. The Aggies' other All-WAC Singles Second Team choice collected a 6-3, 6-4 flight five triumph over the Cougars' Hugo Hidalgo Vega.
• The play-to-clinch format meant NM State needed just one more win to end Chicago State's season. That decisive win came on line four courtesy of the freshman Feigin. His third-consecutive singles victory came by a score of 6-0, 6-4 against Sanchez Pradillo.

COMING UP NEXT
• A trip to the WAC Tournament title bout is on the line for NM State Saturday. The third-seeded Aggies will take on second-seeded Abilene Christian in one of the two semifinal matchups set for 8:00 a.m. MT at the Beaumont Municipal Tennis Center.

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