Oct. 23, 2017
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lions had two players remaining in singles and doubles at the ITA Regionals in Lynchburg, Va. After two strong matches, one player remains to represent the blue and white.
Christos Antonopoulos (Athens, Greece) was the lone Nittany Lion remaining in the singles main draw. Antonopoulos faced Christian Cargill of William and Mary to advance to semifinals. He had a strong match defeating Cargill 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to continue on in the Regional tournament.
"Christos started the match at 9:00 a.m. in cloudy skies and rain looming in the forecast," said head coach Jeff Zinn. "With Christos up in the third set the rains let loose and the match was moved to the indoor center. He took a little time adjusting to the conditions but prevailed. Christos is playing in his first regional since he arrived at Penn State. He is showcasing his skills and is playing fantastic tennis. He has a tough opponent tomorrow with his opponent from Virginia - the defending National Team Champions from last year."
The remaining doubles pair of Antonopoulos and Alp Sentay (Izmir, Turkey) took on Old Dominion's Aziz Kijametovic and Francois Musitelli. Despite multiple games that went to sudden death points, the Nittany Lion duo couldn't hang on and were defeated 7-6 (9), 6-4. The pair of Kijametovic and Musitelli won the regional championship and will be representing the Atlantic Region at the Oracle National Fall Championships.
"In doubles, Christos and Alp played a quality team from Old Dominion University," said Coach Zinn. "It came down to a couple of points which didn't go our way but I couldn't be more proud of the way they played and executed under extreme pressure."
Antonopoulos will continue play tomorrow morning in the semifinal round at the ITA Atlantic Regional Championships. The winner of the singles and doubles tournament represents the region at the inaugural National Fall Classic held in November in Indian Wells, California. Check back to GoPSUsports and our social media accounts for updates on Antonopoulos' match!
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