CHATTANOOGA — The top-seeded Chattanooga Mocs men's tennis team secured a 5-1 victory over No. 8 UNCG in the quarterfinal round of the Southern Conference Tournament on Thursday morning at the Champions Club in Chattanooga.
 
Following the win, Chattanooga improves to 17-6 on the season and advances to the semifinal round for the second-straight season. UNCG finishes the season 4-22 following the defeat.
 
"I thought UNCG played well. We play darn good doubles and give UNCG credit, they fought hard for that point," said head coach Chuck Merzbacher.
 
"I am so proud of how our guys responded in singles. Tough teams compete and find a way, and we certainly stepped up and responded."
 
The underdog Spartans opened the match with a 1-0 lead following a thrilling finish to doubles action to start off the day. UNCG picked up wins at No. 1 and No. 2 after the duo of Gabriel Castillo and Cortland Grove posted a quick 6-0 win at No. 3.
 
It was all Chattanooga when play turned to singles as the Mocs picked up a rare five victories under the clinching-style format. Kerim Hyatt earned a 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 1 to pull things even before Grove posted a 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 6 to put UTC ahead 2-1.
 
Simon Labbe battled through some adversity for a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 2 to make things 3-1 with three matches still in action. Ryan Mudre clinched the match with a 7-6, 6-3 win at No. 5 seconds before Castillo capped off a 6-3, 6-4 win on court three. Castillo's individual match-clinching rally counted toward the team total as the rally was in action during Mudre's team-clinching moment.
 
Chattanooga will now face No. 5 Furman in tomorrow's SoCon semifinal after the Paladins earned a 4-1 win over No. 4 Samford on Thursday. First serve is set for 10 a.m. ET at Champions Club. Live stats are available at GoMocs.com.
 
Chattanooga 5, UNCG 1
4/20/2023 at Chattanooga, Tenn. (Champions Club)
Singles competition
1. Kerim Hyatt (UTC) def. Tymofiy Khrystyuk (UNCGM) 6-2, 6-3
2. Simon Labbe (UTC) def. David Flisberg (UNCGM) 6-3, 6-2
3. Gabriel Castillo (UTC) def. John Gabelic (UNCGM) 6-3, 6-4
4. Peyton Gatti (UTC) vs. Christopher Johns (UNCGM) 4-6, 6-0, 4-1, unfinished
5. Ryan Mudre (UTC) def. Devon Moskowitz (UNCGM) 7-6 (7-3), 6-3
6. Cortland Grove (UTC) def. Andrew Black (UNCGM) 6-3, 6-1
 
Doubles competition
1. Tymofiy Khrystyuk/Christopher Johns (UNCGM) def. Simon Labbe/Peyton Gatti (UTC) 7-5
2. Hampus Johansson/David Flisberg (UNCGM) def. Kerim Hyatt/Kristof Kincses (UTC) 7-6 (7-3)
3. Gabriel Castillo/Cortland Grove (UTC) def. John Gabelic/Andrew Black (UNCGM) 6-0
 
Match Notes
UNCG 4-22
Chattanooga 17-6
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (1,6,2,5,3)
2023 Southern Conference Tournament (Quarterfinals)
#1 Chattanooga vs. #8 UNCG

FOLLOW CHATTANOOGA MEN'S TENNIS
Follow @GoMocsMTennis on Twitter & @GoMocsMTEN on Instagram for the most up-to-date information and news regarding Chattanooga men's tennis.

GoMocs.com is the official website of the Chattanooga Mocs. Buy officially licensed gear in our online store. The Mocs can also be followed on their official Facebook page or on Twitter. Find out how to join the Mocs Club and support more than 300 student-athletes by clicking here.