The Valparaiso University men’s tennis team saw four players pick up wins on the final day of the River Forest Invitational on Sunday, headlined by a championship in the No. 3 singles draw by senior Gabriel Carvajal (Pembroke Pines, Fla. / Broward Virtual School [Florida Atlantic]). Valpo also came away with wins in a third-place match and a pair of fifth-place showdowns.

How It Happened

• Carvajal topped Youngstown State’s Laurentiu Mandocescu 7-6(5), 6-0 in the final match of his bracket. After winning a tiebreaker in the first set, he captured six straight games to dominate the second set.
• Brandon Ancona’s (Belvidere, Ill. / Rockford Christian) fifth-place win at No. 1 singles also featured a tight first set followed by a one-sided second set. He beat Justin Nogalski of Saint Louis 7-5, 6-0.
• Brian Pecyna (Glen Ellyn, Ill. / Homeschooled) came back after dropping the opening set to beat Green Bay’s George Botha 5-7, 6-2, 10-5. That win allowed Pecyna to finish fifth in the No. 2 singles flight.
• At No. 4 singles, freshman Philipp Leithold (Esslingen, Germany / Theodor-Huess Gynasium) grabbed Valpo’s fourth win of the day in a third-place match. He topped Saint Louis’ Alex Heiden 6-3, 7-5.

Inside the Matches

• Ancona is the active leader in career singles wins with 63, while Pecyna is at 42 and Carvajal is up to 38.
• Ancona’s career singles win total puts him ninth in program history. He needs six more to enter a tie for seventh with two others. 

Up Next

Valpo will be back in action this coming weekend at the Toledo Invitational on Friday. The three-day event in Toledo will commence at 9 a.m. CT each morning.