Tigers Finish 14th at Nationals in Men’s Tennis
Plano, TX—The MMI Tigers dodged the raindrops and some scorching forehands, backhands, and serves from an international field of players to finish in 14rh place at the 2021 NJCAA Men's National Tennis Tournament. It was an impressive performance considering the talented and highly-ranked international players that pepper or saturate almost every lineup in the 27-team field.
The Tigers completed the week of play (Monday, May 17-Friday, May 21) with 13 points, winning four first-round singles matches, two first-round doubles matches, and two consolation matches. Each first-round win netted two team points, and each consolation win was worth half a point.
MMI's Joseph Tanjuatco started Monday's match play off on the right foot by downing USC Sumter's Ruben Emmerson-Hini (New Zealand) 3-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5, in flight 1 singles. MMI was not so fortunate at flight 2 singles as Mesa's Leandro Prado (Brazil) outlasted Eddie Hunter, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1. On court 3, Preston Smith took care of business, 6-0, 6-0, over Sauk Valley's Zach Wallace, and Harford's Pabilito Poleo (Venezuela) defeated Carson Johnson, 6-0, 6-0, at No. 4 singles. Emmanuel Warner handed Meridian's Grant Frank a 6-2, 6-2 loss at flight 5 singles, while Drake DelValle polished off singles play with a strong 6-1, 6-3 showing against Kaskaskia's Christian Earth.
In the first round of doubles, Tanjuatco and Smith slipped by Iowa Central's Juan Gomez (Colombia) and Nico Zumba (Ecuador) in a splendid three-setter, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 6-3, at No. 1 doubles. Hunter and Johnson followed with a 6-3, 6-0 win at No. 2 doubles. And lastly, East Central's Steed Springfield and Samuel Turner won in a squeaker over Warner and DelValle, 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-2.
Hunter scored the final MMI point of the tournament with straight-set wins over Sauk Valley's Daniel Ferguson, 8-0, and Itawamba's Rhonzo Molero (Peru), 8-3, before bowing out to Mississippi Gulf Coast's Pedro Molero (Venezuela), 1-8.
Other tournament highlights included losses to some of the top-seeded singles players and doubles teams in the National Junior College Athletic Association. Lucianao Fisicaro (Argentina), the No. 4-seeded player in flight 1 singles from Seward College, defeated Tanjuatco, 6-3, 6-1, and Tyler's Ryo Minakata (Japan), the No. 1 seed in flight 3 singles, double breadsticked Smith, 6-1, 6-1. In doubles, Cowley College's No. 1-seeded doubles team of Jack Clements (Australia) and Takeshi Taco (Peru) rolled to a 6-0, 6-2 win over Tanjuatco and Smith in flight 1 singles, and the Argentinian duo of Agustin Kalinowski and Valentin Rivadeo, the No. 2-seeded team from Collin College, gave up one game to Hunter and Johnson, 6-0, 6-1, at flight 2 singles.
Congratulations to the Marion Military Institute men's tennis team on a tremendous team effort and a fantastic finish to a fine season.