DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – For the ninth year in a row, the Embry-Riddle men's tennis program swept the singles and doubles titles at the USTA/ITA Florida Regional tournament, which concluded on Sunday at Embry-Riddle's Crotty Tennis Complex.
Singles action saw a mild upset as second-seeded junior
Patrick Besch topped defending champion and top-seed
Chris Freeman in straight sets, holding off his senior teammate 7-5 in the first and 6-2 in the second.
The singles contest was not the only battle for Besch and Freeman as they were on opposite sides of the net again an hour later in the doubles finale. Besch and fellow-junior
Simon Felix outlasted Freeman and sophomore
J.R. Leonik 7-6 () in the first set, before rolling to a 6-1 win in the second to claim the doubles crown, the second doubles title of Besch's three-year career.
Sunday's action also saw winners crowned in the back draw. In singles, Jack Anton from SCAD Savannah topped Warner's Akharis Sa-ardphanchai 8-1 and closed out the weekend with a 4-1 tournament record. Doubles play saw Sa-ardphanchai's Royal teammates Diogo Barros and Juan Espinel down Ave Maria's Joe Jaindl and Eric Peterson 8-4.
Besch and Felix will now advance to the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships, held October 11-14 at the Copeland-Cox Tennis Center in Mobile, Alabama. Besch will be making his second straight trip to the national tournament. In 2011, he partnered with
Adrian Bayh to win the regional tournament and the duo working their way through the national tournament bracket to become only the second doubles team in ERAU history to win a national doubles title.
The USTA/ITA National Small College Championships are comprised of the eight regional champions (and/or at-large selections) from NCAA Divisions II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community Colleges.
The USTA/ITA National Small College Championship is the only national championship event for singles and doubles at the NCAA Division II and NAIA levels. It is also the only tournament that combines all levels of Junior/Community College (NJCAA Divisions I and III and the California division). The singles and doubles champions at each divisional level will then compete to become the overall "Super Bowl" champions. The "Super Bowl" champions earn wild cards into the USTA/ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships with the opportunity to win the culminating event held at the USTA-Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
The most unique element of the USTA/ITA Intercollegiate Championships program is the fact that all levels of varsity college tennis (NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community College) are competing in one comprehensive event, and any ITA varsity student-athlete has the opportunity to play and win at the prestigious USTA-Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
