KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Washburn Ichabod men's tennis team opened up the 2024-25 season with a busy day one at the Rockhurst Invitational. The Ichabods moved five doubles pairs and four singles players onto day two while still in the top draw stage.  

In the Blue Draw for doubles Daniel Harkin and Graham Faris worked a 7-5 win in the quarterfinals. They were joined there by Moritz Pieper and Marco Romano who won 6-3 as did Yoshinobu Nakatsuji and Pavlos Parson, moving three Washburn pairings into the semifinals.  

Tim Hammes and Matthew Earle opened the Yellow Draw with a 6-3 quarterfinals victory. Tommy Cecchetti and Vasek Schneider fell 6-3 in the opening round.  

In the Grey Draw, Ivan Ivanov was paired with Alexandre Jaulin of Nebraska-Kearney and the pair won a 7-6(3) tiebreaker to go 1-0 on the day.  

On the singles side Hammes moved into the semifinals of the Blue Draw with 6-1 and 6-4 set victories. Schneider joined him as he won a pair of 6-2 sets in the opening round. In the semifinals, Hammes won both set 6-3 and Schneider won 6-2 and 6-3 to set up an all-Ichabod finale on Sunday.  

In the Red Draw, Parson won his opening set 6-4 and came up just short in the second, falling 7-5. He bounced back to win the super tiebreaker 10-8. Cecchetti dropped his quarterfinals match falling 6-1 and 7-5 in each set. In the semifinals Parson lost 6-1 in the first set and 6-3 in the second.  

Earle moved into the semifinals of the Green Draw on a withdraw. Pieper played in the first round, losing only two games combined in both sets to advance. Harkin followed just behind, as he lost only three games in his quarterfinals victory. Pieper and Harkin faced different opponents in extra matches instead of being faced off with one another in the semifinals.  

At the Purple Draw, Romano won 6-3 and 6-4 sets to move into the semifinals. Faris was on the winning end of two 6-2 sets in his opening match of the draw to advance as well. In the semifinals Romano fell in a pair of 6-4 sets in the next round while Faris also lost in two sets, 6-2 and 6-4.  

Nakatsuji swiftly won his opening match in the Orange Draw, 6-1 and 6-0. Ivanov won a pair of 6-1 sets to move into the semifinals as well. In the semifinals Ivanov won his opening set 6-2, fell 6-3 in the second but won the super tiebreaker 10-3. Nakatsuji's semifinals match was moved into the extra matches bracket.  

In the extra matches Nakatsuji won 6-3 in the first set and swept his second to move to 2-0 on the day. Harkin fell in a first set tiebreaker 7-6(4) but won 6-2 in the second and took the tiebreaker 10-5, completing the comeback. Pieper lost his opening set on a tiebreaker, 7-4. In the second set he took the tiebreaker, 7-5, before falling in the super tiebreaker 12-10.  

Day two will begin at 9:00 a.m. with singles brackets finishing and doubles action to conclude after.  

Doubles Competition:  

Blue Draw – East Stage 

Harkin,Daniel/Faris Graham (WU) def. Skinner, Creed/Schtulmann, Diego (RU) 7-5 

Pieper, Moritz/Romano, Marco (WU) def. Gannavaram, Arnav/Rainwater, Dylan (RU) 6-3 

Nakatsuji, Yoshinobu/Parson, Pavlos (WU) def. Pahwa, Arhaan/Valerga, Giacomo (MKU) 6-3 

Yellow Draw – East State 

Brisdon, Andy/Constatin, Adrian (UNK) def. Schneider, Vasek/Cecchetti, Tommy (WU) 6-3 

Earle, Matthew/Hammes, Tim (WU) def. Kalenic, Luka/Schroeder/Bendix (MKU) 6-3 

Gray Draw – Main Stage 

Ivanov, Ivan (WU)/Jaulin, Alexandre (UNK) def. Sahagun, Andres/Alcover, Iago (RU) 7-6(3) 

Singles Competition:  

Blue Draw – East Stage  

QF - Hammes, Tim (WU) def. Kalenic, Luka (MKU) 6-1, 6-4 

QF – Schneider, Vasek (WU) def. Constatin, Adrian (UNK) 6-2, 6-2  

SF – Hammes, Tim (WU) def. Skinner, Creed (RU) 6-3, 6-3  

SF – Schneider, Vasek (WU) def. Holden, Seb (MKU) 6-2, 6-3  

Red Draw – East Stage  

QF – Parson, Pavlos (WU) def. Brisdon, Andy (UNK) 6-4, 5-7, 10-8 

QF – Schroeder, Bendix (MKU) def. Cecchetti, Tommy (WU) 6-1, 7-5 

SF – Tsyrenov, Semyon (RU) def. Parson, Pavlos (WU) 6-1, 6-3 

Green Draw – East Stage  

QF – Earle, Matthew (WU) def. Truhlar, Josef (RU) Wd  

QF – Pieper, Moritz (WU) def. Diedrichs, Felix (MKU) 6-2, 6-0 

QF – Harkin, Daniel (WU) def. Schtulmann, Diego (RU) 6-3, 6-0 

SF – Earle, Matthew (WU) def. van den Dungen, Tom (UNK) 6-1, 7-7 

Purple Draw – East Stage  

QF – Romano, Marco (WU) def. Sahagun, Andres (RU) 6-3, 6-4 

QF - Faris, Graham (WU) def. Pahwa, Arhaan (MKU) 6-2, 6-2 

SF – Jaulin, Alexandre (UNK) def. Romano, Marco (WU) 6-4, 6-4 

SF – Rainwater, Dylan (RU) def. Faris, Graham (WU) 6-2, 6-4 

Orange Draw – East Stage  

QF – Nakatsuji, Yoshinobu (WU) def. Gannavaram, Arnav (RU) 6-1, 6-0 

QF – Ivanov, Ivan (WU) def. Patrick, Alexander (MKU) 6-1, 6-1 

SF – Ivanov, Ivan (WU) def. Oregui, Aimar (MKU) 6-2, 3-6, 10-3 

Extra Matches & Consolation Brackets 

Cecchetti, Tommy (WU) def. Tikhonov, Alex (RU) 6-3, 6-1 

Nakatsuji, Yoshinobu (WU) def. Cequea, Cris (RU) 6-3, 6-0 

Harkin, Daniel (WU) def. Diedrichs, Felix (MKU) 6(4)-7, 6-2, 10-5 

Schtulmann, Diego (RU) def. Pieper, Moritz (WU) 7-6(4), 6(5)-7, 12-10