Cajuns End Raiders Run at SBC Crown

MOBILE, Ala. - The 61st-ranked Middle Tennessee men's tennis team won the doubles point but could not sustain the momentum, falling 4-2 to 56th-rated Louisiana-Lafayette in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Championships here at the Lubel Memorial Tennis Courts Saturday morning.

The Blue Raiders (9-14) fall into the consolation bracket and will play the loser of Saturday's late afternoon match between South Alabama and Arkansas-Little Rock. That match will take place Sunday at 9 a.m. at the Mobile Tennis Center.

Middle Tennessee won the doubles point with victories at Nos. 1 and 3, with the 57th-ranked duo of Brandon Allan and Kai Schledorn winning the deciding match at the top spot.

UL's Amanjot Singh and Ivan Kovalev defeated Trevor Short and Kirk Jackson, 8-5, at No. 2, but Blue Raiders Andreas Siljestrom and Aidan Fitzgerald evened the doubles play with an 8-3 triumph over Shaun Ellison and Robin Ley at No. 3.

Allan and Schledorn then gave the Blue Raiders a 1-0 lead in the match with an 8-6 victory over Evghenii Corduneanu and Marc Castellana at No. 1.

The Ragin' Cajuns rebounded to quickly take control in singles play, winning the first set in five of the six singles matches and never looking back.

Corduneanu, ranked 112th in the country, defeated Jackson at No. 1, 6-2, 6-1, while Singh won a difficult tilt at No. 2 against the 82nd-ranked Siljestrom, taking a 6-4, 6-3, decision with late breaks in both sets.

Short split sets with Castellana at No. 4, battling back from a set down to even the dual. But the Blue Raider senior was unable to pull out the match in the third set, falling 4-6, 6-1, 3-6.

Anant Sitaram dropped a 6-4, 6-1, decision to Ellison at No. 5 in a match where Sitaram got off to a quick start but could not keep it going. Middle Tennessee's only singles win came at No. 6, with Rishan Kuruppu winning 6-3, 6-2, over Kovalev.

#56 LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE 4, #61 MIDDLE TENNESSEE 2
SINGLES
1. (112) Evghenii Corduneanu (UL) def. Kirk Jackson (MT), 6-2, 6-1
2. Amanjot Singh (UL) def. (82) Andreas Siljestrom (UL), 6-4, 6-3
3. Kai Schledorn (MT) vs. Robin Ley (UL), DNF
4. Marc Castellana (UL) def. Trevor Short (MT), 6-4, 1-6, 6-3
5. Shaun Ellison (UL) def. Anant Sitaram (MT), 6-4, 6-1
6. Rishan Kuruppu (MT) def. Ivan Kovalev (UL), 6-3, 6-2

DOUBLES
1. (57) Brandon Allan-Schledorn (MT) def. Corduneanu-Castellana (UL), 8-6
2. Singh-Kovalev (UL) def. Short-Jackson (MT), 8-5
3. Aidan Fitzgerald-Siljestrom (MT) def. Ellison-Ley (UL), 8-3

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