Annapolis, Md. – UMBC seniors Jaan Kononov (Talinn, Estonia) and Eliott Loubatie (Paris, France) both won singles flight championships at Navy's Joe Hunt Invitational on Sunday.
On Saturday, Kononov rallied for a 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 semi-final win over Georgetown's Julius Tverijonas. The nation's 69th-ranked player captured the A Flight title with a 6-3, 6-1 over GW's .Danil Zelenkov.
In the C flight competition, Loubatie won all eight sets in four matches. In Saturday's semi-finals, he dropped only four games in a 6-0, 6-4 triumph over St. Bonaventure's Victor Blanco. In the title match, the southpaw edged Brandon Griffin of Mary Washington, 6-2, 6-3.
Seniors Justin Carter (Randallstown, Md.) and Alex Drean (Bayonne, France) won their final matches of the competition. Carter, who dropped his first match in A Flight singles on Friday, won the next three to take the consolation final. In the last match, he outlasted Marco Lam of Georgetown, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 10-7.
Drean fell in the semi-finals in the B Flight on Saturday, but took third place with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Navy's Walter Sims.
UMBC will send players to both the George Mason Invitational and the ITA All-American Championships in Tulsa, Okla., beginning on Saturday, Oct. 3. Kononov will be move directly in the qualifying round of the All-American Championships.
Complete Results (Joe Hunt Invitational at USNA)
A Flight Singles-First Round
Jaan Kononov, UMBC def. Michael Furr, Delaware, 6-3, 6-0
Eduardo Irizarry, St. Bonaventure def. Justin Carter, UMBC, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2
Second Round
Kononov def. Jimmy Lange, Geo. Mason, 6-3, 6-1
Semi-Finals
Kononov def. Julius Tverijonas, Georgetown, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5
Finals
Kononov def. Danil Zelenkov, GW, 6-3, 6-1
Consolation
Carter def. Stratton Gilmore, Mary Washington, 6-1, 6-4
Carter def. Santiago Canete, Temple, 7-6, 6-2
Consolation Final
Carter def. Marco Lam, Georgetown, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 10-7
B Flight Singles-First Round
Alex Drean, UMBC def. Daniel Zheng, Army, 6-2, 6-2
Shane Jaffray, Del., def. Melker Svard, UMBC, 4-6, 6-1, 2-1, ret.
Second Round
Drean def. Peter Beatty, Georgetown, 6-2, 1-6, 6-3
Semi-Finals
Artem Kapshuk, Temple def. Drean, 6-1, 6-4
Third Place
Drean def. Walter Sims, Navy, 6-3, 6-2
C Flight Singles-First Round
Tucker Massie, Navy, def. Biyik Akinshemoyin, UMBC, 6-7 (7), 6-1, 7-5
Eliott Loubatie, UMBC def. Venkatesh Ramkumar, Delaware, 6-3, 6-2
Second Round
Loubatie def. Tanner Baine, George Mason, 6-3, 6-1
Semi-Finals
Loubatie def. Victor Blanco, St. Bona., 6-0, 6-4
Finals
Loubatie def. Brandon Griffin, Mary Washington, 6-2, 6-3
Consolation
Miki Nobuzawa, St. Bonaventure def. Akinshemoyin, 6-4, 7-5
Akinshemoyin def. Blaise Casselbury, Del., 6-2, 6-1 (13th place)
E Flight Singles-First Round
Maros Januvka, Temple, def. Kevin Hsieh, 6-2, 7-5
Parker Hayslett, Navy, def. Vijay Golla, UMBC, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
Consolation
Hsieh, def. Alex Cragg, Mary Washington, 6-3, 6-3
Golla def. Nolan Perugini, Mary Washington, 2-6, 6-2, 6-0
Hsieh def. Colin Wong, Del., 6-0, 6-3
Felix Andre, MS, def. Golla, 6-2, 6-2
Andre def. Hsieh ,6-3, 6-2 (Consolation Final)
Golla def. Colin Wong, Del, 6-4, 5-7, 12-10 (11th place)
A Flight Doubles-First Round
Jaan Kononov/Melker Svard, UMBC, lost, walkover (injury)
Justin Carter/Alex Drean, UMBC won, walkover (injury)
Second Round
Carter/Drean def. Canete/Naran, Temple, 6-3
Semi-Finals
Zelenkov/Tverijonas, Georgetown def. Carter/Drean, 6-0
Carter/Drean, won, walkover (3rd place)
B Flight Doubles-First Round
Zheng/Shannon, Army, def. Loubatie/Akinshemoyin, UMBC, 6-1
Consolation
Loubatie/Akinshemoyin, UMBC, def. Martinez/De La Cruz, St. Bona, 6-3
Loubatie/Akinshemoyin, UMBC, def. Ramkumar/Wong, Del., 6-1
Capitel/Moran, Mason def. Loubatie/Akinshemoyin, UMBC, 6-3 (consolation final)
C Flight Doubles-First Round
Hsieh/Golla, UMBC def. Hristov/Mishkin, St. Bonaventure, 6-2
Second Round
McNair/Hicks, Navy def. Hsieh/Golla, 6-3
