NEW ORLEANS, La. – The No. 4 seed Alcorn State men's tennis team opened the 2025 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Championship tournament with a strong 4-1 victory over No. 6 seed Southern University on Friday evening at the City Park Tennis Center. The Braves (8-17) advanced to the semifinal round, where they will face No. 1 seed Alabama State on Saturday, April 19.
DOUBLES
Alcorn State jumped out to an early lead by securing the doubles point. The duo of
Emmanuel Cottle and
Fabian Juarez dominated at No. 1 with a 6-1 win over Southern's top pair. At No. 3 doubles,
David Leon and
Jerry Thomas picked up a win by default to clinch the point. The No. 2 match featuring
Tomas Grime and
Yangho Park was left unfinished with the Braves trailing.
Order of Finish: 3, 1
SINGLES
The Braves continued their momentum in singles play, securing three key victories to clinch the match.
Jerry Thomas earned a default win at No. 6, putting Alcorn up 2-0.
Fabian Juarez extended the lead with a dominant 6-0, 6-1 victory at No. 2 singles, and
David Leon sealed the match with a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 3.
Southern picked up its lone point at No. 4 singles as Sebastien Byng defeated
Tomas Grime in straight sets. Matches at No. 1 and No. 5 singles were left unfinished as the Braves clinched before play concluded.
- #1 Emmanuel Cottle (ALCORN) vs. Lwazi Ngwenya (SOUTHERN), 4-6, 3-4, unfinished
- #2 Fabian Juarez (ALCORN) def. Gabriel Inyang (SOUTHERN), 6-0, 6-1
- #3 David Leon (ALCORN) def. Mpho Leshoele (SOUTHERN), 6-2, 6-1
- #4 Sebastien Byng (SOUTHERN) def. Tomas Grime (ALCORN), 6-3, 6-1
- #5 Yangho Park (ALCORN) vs. Emmanuel Oudensi (SOUTHERN), 4-6, 3-2, unfinished
- #6 Jerry Thomas (ALCORN) win by default
Order of Finish: 6, 4, 2, 3
UP NEXT
Alcorn State will return to action in the SWAC Tournament semifinals on Saturday, April 19, facing top-seeded Alabama State University in New Orleans, La. Match time is set for 2 p.m.
