Friday, September 8
Villanova, Pa.
Lehigh University
at
Villanova Invitational
Men's Tennis Concludes Play At Villanova Invitational
9/10/2023 10:20:00 PM | Men's Tennis
VILLANOVA, Pa. – Lehigh men's tennis kicked off its 2023-24 season this weekend at the Villanova Invitational to begin its fall slate of competition. The Mountain Hawks were scheduled to compete on Friday through Sunday, but inclement weather caused play to be canceled on Sunday.
Lehigh joined the likes of Bucknell, Colgate, Loyola, Lafayette, Saint Joseph's, and host Villanova this weekend. Teams were divided in doubles pairings and entered into an eight-team bracket-style tournament. Teams played in each other in a doubles match followed by singles matches between the two pairs. Lehigh's pairings consisted of Matt Kleiman/Marc Blekhman, Aristotelis Bezianis/Wyeth Anzilotti, Jordan Paul/Sean Jaeger, and Jackson Morash/Benedict Horn-Bourque.
Kleiman and Blekhman, Lehigh's number one pairing, competed in the Blue Draw this weekend. They first faced Jerome Falcon and Josh Israel of Colgate, dropping the initial doubles decision by a score of 6-4. Kleiman would then secure a victory for Lehigh over Falcon with a 6-2, 6-3 win followed by a 2-6, 2-6 loss for Blekhman to Israel.
On day two, Kleiman and Blekhman squared off against Matt Cardano and Ryan Boland of Loyola. The two bounced back after their loss the previous day, winning the doubles point and both singles matches. The doubles point was won 6-2, Kleiman picked up an 8-2 win, and Blekhman picked up a 6-1, 6-0 win.
Bezianis and Anzilotti faced Ben Graham and Aidan Lee of Colgate on Friday. Although the pair dropped the doubles point 6-3, Bezianis won his match 6-2, 6-1 and Anzilotti won in a thrilling 6-3, 6-7 (6), 10-8 decision. The two faced Othman Bezzaz and John Butler from Saint Joseph's on Saturday, losing the doubles match 6-3. Bezianis won his singles bout 6-2, 6-4 while Anzilotti's match did not finish.
Paul and Jaeger squared off against the pair of Ethan Esclamado and Will Robinson from Bucknell on Friday. Lehigh fell in the doubles match, Paul dropped his singles match 6-1, 6-4, and Jaeger earned an impressive 8-2 win in his singles match. On Saturday, their opponents were Nick Lawliss and Cristian Pemueller from Loyola. The Mountain Hawks put on a dominant display, winning the doubles point 6-1 and singles matches 8-2 and 6-0, 6-2 respectively.
Lehigh's final pairing of Morash and Horn-Bourque opened their season against Tejas Gupta and Mikey Weitz of Colgate. The Raiders earned a 6-4 doubles win over the Mountain Hawks, but Morash and Horn-Bourque got the best of them in singles play 6-3, 7-5 and 7-5, 6-4. On Saturday, the two squared off against Lucas Choi and Ryan Nguyen of Villanova, ultimately dropping the doubles and singles points.
The Mountain Hawks return to the court next weekend at the Army Invitational in West Point, N.Y. Matches are scheduled to take place from Friday, September 15 to Sunday, September 17.
Lehigh joined the likes of Bucknell, Colgate, Loyola, Lafayette, Saint Joseph's, and host Villanova this weekend. Teams were divided in doubles pairings and entered into an eight-team bracket-style tournament. Teams played in each other in a doubles match followed by singles matches between the two pairs. Lehigh's pairings consisted of Matt Kleiman/Marc Blekhman, Aristotelis Bezianis/Wyeth Anzilotti, Jordan Paul/Sean Jaeger, and Jackson Morash/Benedict Horn-Bourque.
Kleiman and Blekhman, Lehigh's number one pairing, competed in the Blue Draw this weekend. They first faced Jerome Falcon and Josh Israel of Colgate, dropping the initial doubles decision by a score of 6-4. Kleiman would then secure a victory for Lehigh over Falcon with a 6-2, 6-3 win followed by a 2-6, 2-6 loss for Blekhman to Israel.
On day two, Kleiman and Blekhman squared off against Matt Cardano and Ryan Boland of Loyola. The two bounced back after their loss the previous day, winning the doubles point and both singles matches. The doubles point was won 6-2, Kleiman picked up an 8-2 win, and Blekhman picked up a 6-1, 6-0 win.
Bezianis and Anzilotti faced Ben Graham and Aidan Lee of Colgate on Friday. Although the pair dropped the doubles point 6-3, Bezianis won his match 6-2, 6-1 and Anzilotti won in a thrilling 6-3, 6-7 (6), 10-8 decision. The two faced Othman Bezzaz and John Butler from Saint Joseph's on Saturday, losing the doubles match 6-3. Bezianis won his singles bout 6-2, 6-4 while Anzilotti's match did not finish.
Paul and Jaeger squared off against the pair of Ethan Esclamado and Will Robinson from Bucknell on Friday. Lehigh fell in the doubles match, Paul dropped his singles match 6-1, 6-4, and Jaeger earned an impressive 8-2 win in his singles match. On Saturday, their opponents were Nick Lawliss and Cristian Pemueller from Loyola. The Mountain Hawks put on a dominant display, winning the doubles point 6-1 and singles matches 8-2 and 6-0, 6-2 respectively.
Lehigh's final pairing of Morash and Horn-Bourque opened their season against Tejas Gupta and Mikey Weitz of Colgate. The Raiders earned a 6-4 doubles win over the Mountain Hawks, but Morash and Horn-Bourque got the best of them in singles play 6-3, 7-5 and 7-5, 6-4. On Saturday, the two squared off against Lucas Choi and Ryan Nguyen of Villanova, ultimately dropping the doubles and singles points.
The Mountain Hawks return to the court next weekend at the Army Invitational in West Point, N.Y. Matches are scheduled to take place from Friday, September 15 to Sunday, September 17.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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