Mountain Hawks Defeat Rider 6-1 In Season Opener

Saturday, January 31

Bethlehem, Pa.

2:00 PM

Lehigh University

Rider University

Photo by: Clark Boinis

Mountain Hawks Defeat Rider 6-1 In Season Opener

1/31/2026 8:18:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Results

BETHLEHEM Pa. – Lehigh men's tennis kicked off the 2026 spring season on Saturday afternoon against the Rider Broncs at the Lewis Tennis Center. The Mountain Hawks dropped the opening doubles point but won singles matches one through six to open the season with a 6-1 victory.

Lehigh (1-0) lost its first doubles bout to Rider (0-1) at number three before evening the score with a 6-4 win from first-years Kosei Ogata and Henry Stoller at number two. Graduate student Sean Jaeger and junior Alex Van Lumich battled to a tiebreaker at number one doubles but ultimately lost 7-6 to concede the point to Rider.

After falling in doubles, Van Lumich got things started for Lehigh in singles play with a two-set victory over Rider's Nathan Slattery in his first match as a Mountain Hawk. Sophomore Ofer Hacohen followed up with a 6-3, 7-5 win at number two to give the Mountain Hawks a 2-1 advantage in the match. Jaeger gutted out a three-set victory over Matteus Froberg Dahlin at number one to put Lehigh within one win of clinching the victory. Ogata battled back from a first set loss to defeat Rider's Axel Engstrom in three, clinching the win for Lehigh in his first collegiate match.

Following the clinch, senior Jackson Morash picked up a 6-4, 6-4 win over Rider's Ibragim Turgambekov at number six. Junior Benedict Horn-Bourque completed the singles sweep with a three-set win at number five.

The Mountain Hawks will have an extended break following the season opener, playing host to the Temple Owls on Wednesday, February 11 at 6 p.m.

Singles
Sean Jaeger (Lehigh) def. Matteus Froberg Dahlin (Rider) 6-0, 2-6, 7-5
Ofer Hacohen (Lehigh) def. Heath Waters Jr. (Rider) 6-3, 7-5
Alex Van Lumich (Lehigh) def. Nathan Slattery (Rider) 6-2, 6-3
Kosei Ogata (Lehigh) def. Axel Engstrom (Rider) 6-7, 7-5, 6-3
Benedict Horn-Bourque (Lehigh) def. Matthew Griscti (Rider) 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-0)
Jackson Morash (Lehigh) def. Ibragim Turgambekov (Rider) 6-4, 6-4

Order of finish: 3, 2, 1, 4, 6, 5

Doubles
Froberg Dahlin/Engstrom (Rider) def. Jaeger/Van Lumich (Lehigh) 7-6
Ogata/Stoller (Lehigh) def. Slattery/Pelaez Martinez (Rider) 6-4
Waters/Turgambekov (Rider) def. Daskalovic/Anzilotti (Lehigh) 6-3

Order of finish: 3, 2, 1