The Aggie men’s tennis team sent four players to the Midland Racquet Club Invitational this weekend, which drew players from 11 universities and four states.
Frankie Colunga, Max Lunkin, Max Montague and Jett Cash represented A&M in the tournament.
The sophomore doubles tandem of Colunga and Lunkin enjoyed the most success for A&M in the tournament’s weather-shortened matches.
The duo defeated Nicholas Melott and Carlos DiLaura of Texas Tech 7-6 to advance to the round of 16. There the Aggies built on their momentum, defeating Abilene Christian’s team of Jason Proctor and Henry Adams by a familiar score of 7-6 to advance to the tournament quarterfinals.
The Aggies’ success set the stage for a Sunday matchup with tournament No. 1 seed and rival University of Texas. The Longhorn doubles tandem of Michael Riechman and William Jou earned a first-round bye and then defeated Wichita State 6-4 in the Round of 16 to earn their spot in the quarterfinals. However, it was the Aggies who upset the Longhorns by a decisive score of 6-2 to move on to the semifinals.
A&M assistant coach Bob McKinley was impressed with the doubles duo’s performance.
“They have a pretty good chemistry and they complement each other pretty well,” McKinley said. “They certainly, against the UT team, played extremely well.”
Colunga and Lunkin’s tournament run would go no further, though. The tournament, along with the pair’s semifinal match, was cut short and canceled around 4:30 p.m. Sunday due to weather.
In singles action, the Aggies struggled. Three of A&M’s four players lost their first-round contests, with Colunga, the only Aggie victor, rallying in his Flight One match to defeat University of Texas at Arlington sophomore Mario Muniesa 4-6, 6-2, (11-9).
However, Colunga would fall victim in the round of 16 to Wichita State’s Tin Ostojic, the tournament’s 1-seed and its lone competitor ranked in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association preseason top 125. Ostojic defeated Colunga in a pro set, 8-3.
The Aggies will be in action again next weekend at both the SEC Fall Championships in Gainesville, Fla., and the Rice Invitational in Houston.