MEN'S TENNIS

Roster  |  Coaches  |  Schedule / Results  |  News

Bulls End Fall Schedule at Cornell Indoor Tournament

Matt Kennedy

ITHACA, NY - The University at Buffalo men's tennis team concluded the fall portion of the schedule over the weekend with play at the Cornell Fall Invitational at the Reis Tennis Center. There was no team scoring as bracket play was contested in three singles and two doubles flights. Eight schools sent teams to the tournament.

Three UB players went 2-1 in singles play in their flights. In the B flight, Nikesh Singh Panthlia (George Town, Malaysia/BMK Penang Free School) reached the semifinal round before being bounced out of the competition. Singh Panthlia opened the tournament by winning the final two sets over Fairfield's Michael Palumbo, 6-2, 6-1, after dropping the opening set in a 7-4 tiebreaker. Singh Panthlia also dropped the first set of his next match against Army's Sean Harris, 7-5, before scoring a 6-0 win in the second set. He led 2-0 in the third set before Harris was forced to retire. Singh Panthlia was eliminated by Colgate's Mickey Gallagher, the eventual B flight champion, 6-3, 6-2, in the semifinals.

Albert Alant

In the C flight, Matt Kennedy (Mississauga, Ontario/Erindale) and Albert Alant (Pretoria, South Africa/Niskayuna (NY)) each scored two victories before bowing out in the quarterfinal round. Kennedy needed three sets to defeat Marist's Federico Rolon, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, in the opening round. He then breezed past Zachary Morrison of Fairfield, 6-1, 6-2. Kennedy was then knocked out by Cornell's Kyle Doppelt in the quarterfinals, 6-2, 6-1.

Alant had little trouble getting past Boston University's Hans Sapra, 6-0, 6-1, in his opening match. Then after dropping the opening set of his second-round match against Fairfield's Glen Gannon, 6-2, Alant took the final two sets, 6-0, 6-1, to move into the quarterfinals. He was defeated by Cornell's Weston Nichols, 6-3, 6-2, in the quarterfinals.

Mike Rockman (Toronto, Ontario/Thornlea) and Mike Zappone (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) also earned first-round victories in their flights before falling in the second round. Rockman, in the A flight, earned a three-set win over Hofstra's Luka Djordjevic, 6-1, 4-6, 6-0. Zappone, in the C flight, also needed three sets to get past Fairfield's Michael Cuozzo, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.

All four of UB's doubles combinations were defeated in the first round.

The Bulls return to the courts to open the spring campaign on January 20 at Brown.

Complete UB results follow.

Cornell Fall Indoor Invitational

UB results

A singles

Mike Rockman (UB) def. Luka Djordjevic (Hofstra), 6-1, 4-6, 6-0

Peter Kung (Cornell) def. Mike Rockman (UB), 6-4, 7-6 (2)

Joshua Goldstein (Cornell) def. Yules Hadisubroto (UB), 6-4, 6-1

Consolation draw

Barrett Wolf (Boston University) def. Yules Hadisubroto (UB), 2-6, 6-2, 1-0 (4)

B singles

David Collins (Army) def. Octavian Stane (UB), 7-5, 6-7 (1), 6-3

Nikesh Singh Panthlia (UB) def. Michael Palumbo (Fairfield), 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-1

Nikesh Singh Panthlia (UB) def. Sean Harris (Army), 5-7, 6-0, 2-0 (ret.)

Mickey Gallagher (Colgate) def. Nikesh Singh Panthlia (UB), 6-4, 6-3

Consolation draw

Octavian Stane (UB) def. Matt Schor (Hofstra), by default

Rodd Lohr (Boston University) def. Octavian Stane (UB), 6-3, 6-2

C singles

Matt Kennedy (UB) def. Federico Rolon (Marist), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3

Matt Kennedy (UB) def. Zachary Morrison (Fairfield), 6-1, 6-2

Kyle Doppelt (Cornell) def. Matt Kennedy (UB), 6-2, 6-1

Mike Zappone (UB) def. Michael Cuozzo (Fairfield), 5-7, 6-4, 6-2

Yannick Sollberger (Marist) def. Mike Zappone (UB), 6-3, 6-2

Albert Alant (UB) def. Hans Sapra (Boston University), 6-0, 6-1

Albert Alant (UB) def. Glen Gannon (Fairfield), 2-6, 6-0, 6-1

Weston Nichols (Cornell) def. Albert Alant (UB), 6-3, 6-2

Matthew McCormick (Colgate) def. Joe Popielarczyk (UB), 6-3, 6-3

Consolation draw

Matthew Chiricosta (Fairfield) def. Joe Popielarczyk (UB), 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 (7)

A doubles

Ray Wu/Marc Asch (Cornell) def. Yules Hadisubroto/Nikesh Singh Panthlia (UB), 9-8 (4)

Mark Santucci/Federico Rolon (Marist) def. Matt Kennedy/Albert Alant (UB), 8-4

B doubles

Peter Kung/Bryant Yung (Cornell) def. Mike Rockman/Mike Zappone (UB), 8-4

Miron Nesim/Phil Demeo (Boston University) def. Octavian Stane/Joe Popielarczyk (UB), 9-7