No. 1 Pirates Advance To PBC Semifinals With 5-0 Win Over ASU

JONESBORO, Ga. - The top-ranked and second-seeded Armstrong Atlantic State men's tennis team moved into the 2009 Peach Belt Conference Tennis Championship semifinals on Friday afternoon with a 5-0 victory over No. 7 seed Augusta State at the Clayton County Tennis Center in Jonesboro.

The Pirates (22-1) will now advance to face third-seeded and eighth-ranked Columbus State Cougars at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. Columbus State advanced to the semifinals with a 5-0 win over sixth-seeded Lander on Friday.

AASU swept all three doubles matches, then picked up two quick singles wins to clinch the match. Fifth-ranked Paul Bishop and Mikk Irdoja blanked Jenner Stevenson and Bernardo Fernandes, 8-0, at No. 1 doubles, while 10th-ranked Rafael Array and Tim Johannsen defeated Frederico Mendes and Henrique Boturao, 8-2, at No. 2 doubles. Eudaldo Bonet and Akos Torok completed the doubles sweep with an 8-4 win over Guilherme Ferraz and Rafael Milhati.

In singles play, second-ranked Bonet defeated Stevenson, 6-0, 6-1, at No. 1 singles, then Paul Fitzgerald knocked off Ferraz, 6-0, 6-0, at No. 4 singles to clinch the match, halting the other singles matches in progress.

The win was the 13th consecutive for the Pirates in PBC Tournament action, dating back to 2004.