TOPEKA, Kan – Six members of the Mulerider Men's Tennis team competed at the ITA Central Region Championships over the weekend in Topeka, Kansas. Head Coach Greg Owen's 2024-2025 squad collected a total of 14 match wins over the two-day tournament and highlighting the weekend was senior Tim Fischer's run to the semifinals.
This is the second time Fischer returns to Magnolia after a successful run at the individual ITA Central Region Championships as he battled his way through the singles bracket last year and lost with a very small margin in the quarterfinal. This year went even better for the Frankfurt, Germany native as he collected a couple of straight-set wins before dropping to Washburn's Tim Hammes in the semifinal.
Fischer started by topping Washburn's Graham Faris 6-4, 6-3, Nebraska Kearney's Aaron Osmond 6-3, 6-1, and one more Ichabod from Washburn, Tommaso Cecchetti 6-1, 7-6 (7-2). After having the lead of 6-4, 3-2 against Emporia State's Anton Sarunic in the quarterfinals, Fischer's opponent retired due to injury which sent him to the semifinals.
Fischer also had a good run in the tournament's doubles bracket this year as he and his doubles partner Mathys Pinoit were one out of the eight doubles teams in the Central Region to reach the quarterfinals. In both the first and second rounds the duo won their matches after a close contest with 8-6, before dropping to Washburn's Schneider/Cecchetti 6-8.
Frode Neumann and Jinsei Tajima bounced back after dropping their first-round matchup against Harding's de Ruiter/Solorzano 2-8 and won the consolation bracket after four straight wins, topping Emporia State's Torres/Mattenberger 8-3 in the final.
The Muleriders return to Magnolia to get ready for the Great American Conference Individual Championships in Searcy, Ark. on Oct. 18 - 19.
Fischer, A Draw Singles
R64 def. Graham Faris (Washburn) 6-4, 6-3
R32 def. Aaron Osmond (Nebraska Kearney) 6-3, 6-1
R16 def. Tommaso Cecchetti (Washburn) 6-1, 7-6 (7-2)
QF def. Anton Sarunic (Emporia) 6-4, 3-2 ret. (inj.)
SF lost to Tim Hammes (Washburn) 2-6, 3-6
Pinoit, A Draw Singles
R64 def. Killian Darneaux (UAFS) 5-7, 6-3, 10-4
R32 def. Adrian Constantin (Nebraska Kearney) 6-4, 6-2
R16 lost to Adrian Solorzano 3-6, 2-6
Neumann, A Draw Singles
R64 def. Tom van den Dungen (Nebraska Kearney) 5-7, 6-3, 10-5
R32 lost to Juan Rosello (UAFS) 6-4, 3-6, 7-10
Tajima, A Draw Singles
R64 lost to Alexis Mattenberger (Emporia) 6-3, 3-6, 10-12
C-R32 def. Andrea Bramati (Newman) 6-4, 7-6 (7-3)
C-R16 lost to Luke Tinnock (Southeastern Oklahoma) 7-5, 2-6, 5-10
Von Pongracz, A Draw Singles
R64 lost to Andy Brisdon (Nebraska Kearney) 2-6, 1-6
C-R32 lost to Ali Mounir (Newman) 2-6, 0-6
Diehl, A Draw Singles
R64 lost to Anton Sarunic (Emporia) 6-7 (2-7), 0-6
C-R32 lost to David Palomares (Southeastern Oklahoma) 0-2 ret. (inj.)
Fischer/Pinoit, A Draw Doubles
R32 def. Ching/Pinto (Southeastern Oklahoma) 8-6
R16 def. Osmond/van den Dungen (Nebraska Kearney) 8-6
QF lost to Schneider/Cecchetti (Washburn) 6-8
Neumann/Tajima, A Draw Doubles
R32 lost to de Ruiter/Solorzano (Harding) 2-8
C-R16 def. Kano/Gohl (Augustana) 8-4
C-QF def. Brisdon/Constatin (Nebraska Kearney) 8-3
C-SF def. Poppenga/Plank (Augustana) 9-7
C-F def. Torres/Mattenberger (Emporia) 8-3
Diehl/Von Pongracz, A Draw Doubles
R32 lost to Mens/Strzelecki (Nebraska Kearney) 2-8
C-R16 lost to Osmond/Mueller (Ouachita) 6-8
