CHATTANOOGA – The top-seeded Chattanooga Mocs men's tennis team punched its ticket to the Southern Conference Tournament title match for the first time since 2006 after defeating No. 5 Furman 4-2 in the semifinal round on Friday morning at the Champions Club in Chattanooga.
 
Chattanooga improved to 18-6 overall after the win which marks the most wins in a single season since 2005 (18). UTC will look for its first SoCon Tournament title since 2000 with tomorrow's title match. Furman concluded the season 11-14 following the loss.
 
Chattanooga opened the match with a 1-0 lead following thrilling doubles action in which the No. 2 duo of Kerim Hyatt and Kristof Kincses clinched the team point behind a 7-6 (8-6) tiebreak victory. Simon Labbe and Peyton Gatti posted a 6-3 win in the top spot to aid the doubles efforts.
 
"The doubles point was epic," said head coach Chuck Merzbacher. "Kristof and Kerim taking the point with a huge tiebreaker. That point was huge."
 
In singles, Cortland Grove extended the UTC lead to 2-0 following a convincing 6-2, 6-2 win at the No. 5 position. Ryan Mudre would up the lead to 3-0 with a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 4 with four tight matches remaining in action.
 
Furman would capture victories at No. 1 and No.6 to pull within one at 3-2 with court two and three still in play. Gatti provided the electrifying match-clinching moment with a 7-5, 7-5 come-from-behind win at No. 3. Gatti trailed by a 5-2 count in both the first and second sets before rolling to his comeback victory.
 
"The kids all stepped up in singles and played as a team again," added Merzbacher. "Peyton was just so tough coming back in both sets being down 5-2. That's just toughness. As I've said, it's just ten guys trying to find four points."
 
Chattanooga will meet No. 3 ETSU in tomorrow's Southern Conference Tournament title match for the third time in the tournament's history. First serve is set for 12 p.m. ET at Champions Club (3400 Lupton Drive) in Chattanooga. Live stats are available at GoMocs.com.
 
Chattanooga 4, Furman 2
4/21/2023 at Chattanooga, Tenn. (Champions Club)
Singles competition
1. Jerry Barton (FUR) def. Kerim Hyatt (UTC) 6-3, 6-4
2. Gabriel Castillo (UTC) vs. Elijah Poritzky (FUR) 6-3, 5-7, 0-1, unfinished
3. Peyton Gatti (UTC) def. Emil Westling (FUR) 7-5, 7-5
4. Ryan Mudre (UTC) def. Thomas Kennedy (FUR) 6-3, 6-3
5. Cortland Grove (UTC) def. Connor Laymon (FUR) 6-2, 6-2
6. John Rado (FUR) def. Kristof Kincses (UTC) 0-6, 6-1, 6-1
 
Doubles competition
1. Simon Labbe/Peyton Gatti (UTC) def. Thomas Kennedy/Elijah Poritzky (FUR) 6-3
2. Kerim Hyatt/Kristof Kincses (UTC) def. Ben Cahill/Emil Westling (FUR) 7-6 (8-6)
3. Jerry Barton/Alex Han (FUR) def. Gabriel Castillo/Cortland Grove (UTC) 6-3
 
Match Notes
Furman 11-14
Chattanooga 18-6
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (5,4,1,6,3)
2023 Southern Conference Tournament (Semifinals)
#1 Chattanooga vs. #5 Furman
T-2:49 A-8

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