TALLAHASSEE — Florida State men’s tennis team performed well this fall season, with multiple players earning ranked wins and tournament victories.
No. 102 Jamie Connel led the Seminoles with 11 singles victories in the fall, including three ranked wins. Connel’s highest-ranked win was a 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4 victory over USC’s No. 63 Wojtek Marek. In the first fall event, Connel emerged victorious after winning the Battle At The Beach tournament. In the season’s concluding event, Connel made the semifinals at M15 Tallahassee after three wins to begin qualifying, the furthest any Nole made it at this year’s event.
In his first fall season at Florida State, Azariah Rusher earned double-digit wins this fall, finishing second on the team in victories with 10 singles wins. At the first event of the season in his debut, Rusher finished as the runner-up at Battle At the Beach, compiling three wins and an undefeated finish in the tournament.
No. 55 Youcef Rihane earned the highest-ranked win on the team this past fall at the ITA All-American Championships. Rihane’s 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 win over No. 30 Olle Wallin of Texas Tech marked his first ranked win of the fall.
Freshman Justin Lyons earned his first win during his debut match at Battle At The Beach. Lyons’ 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(7) three-set win was his first en route to 8 eight wins this fall. In a match against Florida’s No. 79 Magnus Johnson, Lyons earned his first ranked victory after a 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-5 win.
No. 112 Loris Pourroy compiled multiple singles wins this fall, with the most notable victories being over USC’s Lodewijk Westrate and Tulsa’s Callum Gale. Pourroy teamed up with Rihane to defeat USC’s Marek and Samuel Rubell in a an 8-7(3) win at the Longhorn Invitational.
Junior Alex Bulte earned two wins this fall season, (add comma) including a ranked win over No. 86 Nate Bonetto at the ITA Southeast Regional. Bulte‘s earned victories over two in-state rivals after his 6-2, 6-2 win over Florida’s Nate Bonetto and a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 win over Miami’s Adrien Burdet.
Carson Cerejo made his Seminole debut at Battle At The Beach, earning his first win in a 7-5, 7-5 straight-set victory over Middle Tennessee’s Kristian Thomas.
The Seminoles have wrapped up their fall schedule and will return to action in the first matchup of the spring.
For more information on the Florida State men’s tennis program, check Seminoles.com and follow us on social media at FSUMTennis (IG) and @FSU_MTennis (X).
