COLLEGE GROVE, Tenn. – The Purdue men’s tennis team ended on a high note at the ITA Ohio Valley Regional main draw with junior Nour Fathalla securing the victory in the singles semifinals. The win secured his bid for the NCAA Singles Championships, which will take place November 17-22 in Athens, Georgia.
It is the second straight year Purdue will have a presence in the NCAA Championships, having a doubles pair qualify a year ago. On the singles side, Fathalla is the second Boilermaker this century, and first since Gergely Madarasz in 2016, to make it to the NCAA tournament.
Fathalla posted the win after a rare occurrence of facing his teammate, freshman Lorenzo Balducci, in the Regional Semifinals. Balducci picked up three consecutive singles wins leading up to the match. Meanwhile, in doubles, Baducci had teamed up with Fathalla for the Regionals, having advanced to the Quarterfinals yesterday before ultimately falling.
The Boilermakers will be back in action October 29th- November 1st for the Big Ten Individual Championships.
With both Regional Final qualifiers earning the bid to the NCAA tournament, they have opted out of the Finals match, originally slated for tomorrow. In total, the ITA Regional Championships provide the opportunity for 26 singles players across its 13 Regional Championships to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament.
Although Regionals provide the single-largest opportunity for players to claim a spot in the postseason, Purdue's upcoming ITA Sectional Championships (set for November 5-8) serve as the last chance to qualify, with six singles players from each section will earn a spot (semifinalists, two quarterfinal playoff winners) and three doubles teams (champion, finalist, and third-place).
DAY 5 - MAIN DRAW | Monday, October 12
Singles- Semifinals
Nour Fathalla (Purdue) def. Lorenzo Balducci (Purdue): 6-1, 6-3