Flushing, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College Men's Tennis team competed in the ITA East Regional at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Friday through Sunday and finished with a combined record of 13-9.
Junior Philip Blythe (Edinburgh, Scotland/Merchiston), who received an automatic berth into the singles draw, went 2-1 over the weekend. He had a first round bye and competed in his first match in the round of 32, defeating Sergio Fernandez of the New York Institute of Technology by a score of 6-2, 6-0. In the round of 16, Blythe defeated Denis Davydov of Merrimack College, 7-5, 6-3.  Blythe fell in the quarterfinals to New York Institute of Technology's Nicolas Castaldo, 6-1, 1-6, 10-6.

Senior Andres Hernandez (Monterrey, Mexico/Laurel Springs/Texas Rio Grande Valley) also went 2-1 after earning an automatic berth into the singles draw. He was victorious in the round of 64 by beating Kevin Huynh of the New York Institute of Technology by a score of 6-2, 6-4. In the round of 32, Hernandez took a 6-4, 5-7, 10-8 win over Marcel Volz of Saint Thomas Aquinas. In the round of 16, Hernandez lost to Kareem Rashad of Queens College by a score of 6-4, 6-1.

The Dolphins had five individuals compete in the singles draw qualifier. Senior Xavier Graells (Castellar del Vallès, Spain/IES Castellar/Harford Community College) beat Nathan Nguyen of the University of the Sciences, 8-6, in the first round. In the second round of the qualifier, Graells defeated Tyler Clontz, 9-7, to qualify for the round of 64. In the first round of the main division, Graells took on Santiago Granada of the New York Institute of Technology and posted a 6-2, 6-4 win. In the round of 32, Graells was victorious by a score of 6-3, 3-6, 10-5 over Jonathan Garcia of Merrimack College. In his final match of the weekend, Graells lost to Cosme Jubera of Queens College by a score of 6-1, 6-2 in the round of 16.

Graduate student Sven Gopfrich (Erlangen, Germany/Emmy-Noether-Gymnasium Erlangen/Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg) also won his way into the main bracket by defeating Paul Weidinger of Merrimack College, 8-2, and Erik Jorsal of Chestnut College, 8-4. Gopfrich fell in the round of 64 to Frank Vega of Merrimack College, 6-1, 6-3.

Sophomore Christian Erickson (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) won his first qualifying match over Gregory Monrad of Roberts Wesleyan, 8-0, but failed to qualify by losing to Volz, 8-5.

Senior Tyler Underwood (Minoa, N.Y./East Syracuse-Minoa) won one of two qualifying matches.  He beat Jose Williamson III of Daemen College by a score of 8-6, before losing to NYIT's Fernandez, 8-3.

Freshman Gerardo Wibmer (Maldonado, Uruguay/Apostille School) lost to Fabian Wilde of Daemen College, 8-4, in his first qualifying match.
In doubles action, the team of Blythe and Hernandez took their first match in the round of 64, beating Sahas Chandragiri and Evan Halperin of the University of the Sciences, 8-6. They fell in the round of 32 to Boyd Blackburn and Guido Janssen of Roberts Wesleyan by default.

Graells and Wibmer lost the opening round to Emmanuel Vacalares and Tiago Fernandes of Southern New Hampshire University, 8-2.

Gopfrich and Underwood lost in the round of 64, 8-5, to Henry Masters and Jan Godfrey Soto of Concordia College.

The Dolphins will be in action again Wednesday, when the take on Roberts Wesleyan College at 3:00 p.m. at the Skytop Tennis Courts.