MOBILE, Ala.- Top-seeded and unbeaten Georgia Gwinnett will play fifth-seeded Southeastern (Fla.), and second-seeded Tennessee Wesleyan will play third-seeded and defending champion Keiser (Fla.) in Friday’s semifinals of the 74th annual UTR Sports NAIA Men’s Tennis National Championship.
Matches will begin at 9 a.m. CDT at Copeland-Cox Mobile Tennis Center. Admission is free for all rounds; the tournament will conclude Saturday with the men’s championship at 9 a.m. and the women’s championship at 1 p.m.
• Georgia Gwinnett 4, Cumberlands (Ky.) 1: The Grizzlies (23-0) won the doubles point, then got singles victories from Luis Francisco Sampedro, Yerassyl Yerdilda and Juan Carlos Garcia to win in the quarterfinals for the 12th consecutive time. That streak began in 2014, the first season Georgia Gwinnett qualified for nationals. Sampedro clinched at No. 1 with a 1-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory against Jacopo Cianfarini. Cumberlands, the No. 8 seed, finished 17-9. The Patriots scored their point when Kesia Roy defeated Luka Vulgar 6-1, 6-2 at No. 5.
• Southeastern (Fla.) 4, William Carey (Miss.) 0: The Fire, 17-4 and seeded fifth, advanced to the semifinals for the third time in four years and gave the Crusaders (13-1) their first loss this season. Gonzalo Fernandez clinched at No. 4 by defeating Artur Ibragimov 6-0, 6-4. William Carey was the No. 4 seed.
• Keiser (Fla.) 4, Morningside (Iowa) 0: Didrik Liljekvist, No. 9 in the ITA/NAIA singles rankings, clinched for the Seahawks when he defeated Marcos Menendez Hervella 6-0, 6-1. The Seahawks (18-1) have won 17 straight and reached the semifinals for the sixth consecutive year. Eleventh-seeded Morningside (23-5) was in the quarterfinals for the first time.
• Tennessee Wesleyan 4, Lindsey Wilson 1: Serafin Zund won in doubles and singles for the second consecutive match, and he clinched at No. 2 with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 victory against Facundo Grasso. The Bulldogs (21-2) have won 16 straight. Lindsey Wilson, the No. 7 seed, finished 16-3. Miguel Mateo Larrea scored the Blue Raiders’ point with a 6-1, 6-1 victory against Nicolas Cortes Campos at No. 3.
Men’s semifinal pairings — Friday, May 15 at 9 a.m. CDT
No. 1 Georgia Gwinnett (23-0) vs. No. 5 Southeastern (Fla.) (17-4)
No. 3 Keiser (Fla.) (18-1) vs. No. 2 Tennessee Wesleyan (21-2)
