FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Drake men's tennis team concluded its fall campaign with a competitive showing at the Bonita Bay Collegiate Open, hosted by Florida Gulf Coast University from Nov. 7–9. The Bulldogs faced a talented field, capping off a fall season marked by growth and valuable match experience across the roster.
In singles play, freshman Ulysse Verrando and Alex Yeager both earned opening-round victories to lead the Bulldogs. Verrando rallied past Florida Gulf Coast's Gustav Hasslegren in a comeback win, 5-7, 6-3, [10-4], while Yeager edged FGCU's Christopher Smith in a hard-fought three-set battle, 4-6, 6-4, [11-9]. Senior Christian Winstead also delivered a strong performance, defeating FGCU's Jonathan Baron, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, to advance to the next round.
Elsewhere, junior Alan Gonzalez and sophomore Ben Johnson fell in their opening matches but battled through close sets against FGCU opponents Hugo Magnusson and Mika Bunjes respectively. Sophomore Jose Alessandro Hernandez and freshman Francisco Landeras also competed in tight contests, with Hernandez pushing his opponent to a third-set tiebreak before falling, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), [10-1].
In the second round, Yeager, Winstead, and Hernandez were among several Bulldogs who continued to compete strongly against a deep Florida Gulf Coast lineup. Winstead was defeated by Agustin Cuellar, 5-7, 1-6, while Yeager fell in a three-set battle to Harry Michalowski, 5-7, 6-3, [10-6]. Freshman Arin Menon also took his match to a decisive tiebreak before dropping a 5-7, 6-4, [10-7] decision to Stefan Correa.
In doubles play, the Bulldogs battled through several competitive matchups against strong Florida Gulf Coast pairings. Ben Johnson and Alan Gonzalez were topped 8-3 by FGCU's Harry Michalowski and Pablo Paternostro, while Christian Winstead and Adan Tarquino came up just short in a tight 8-6 contest against Tanner Povey and Mika Bunjes. Max Goldemberg and Jose Alessandro Hernandez also turned in a solid effort before falling 8-4 to their FGCU opponents.
The Bonita Bay Collegiate Open marked the conclusion of the Bulldogs' fall season, which featured multiple standout performances and areas of improvement. Drake will now turn its focus toward the spring season, where the team looks to build on its fall progress.
