Indiana men’s tennis kicked off its 2024 fall season over the weekend with a 1-2 result in the Middle Tennessee State Fall Invite at Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The competition pitted the Hoosiers against Middle Tennessee State University, Tennessee Tech University, Vanderbilt University, Lipscomb University and the University of Tennessee.
The tournament also marked the debut of a talented freshman class that includes Tennis Recruiting Network’s 2024 No. 39 ranked recruit Braeden Gelletich and No. 44 Karan Raghavendra. Matteo Antonescu, the No. 58 recruit of 2023, rounds out the class.
Indiana began the weekend with matches against MTSU and Tennessee Tech. After a slow start in doubles play, the Hoosiers bounced back with five singles victories. Winners included No. 59 ranked junior Jip van Assendelft, Gelletich— his first victory as a Hoosier — and redshirt sophomore Facundo Yunis, who posted a come from behind 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory.
Indiana battled Lipscomb and Vanderbilt on Saturday. The Hoosiers were victorious in 11 out of their 12 matches, going 8-0 in singles play.
The day included a dominant 6-1, 6-0 win from sophomore Ben Pomerantes as well as another victory from standout freshman Gelletich.
Juniors Deacon Thomas and Luc Boulier each contributed to Indiana’s big day with singles wins. Newcomers Raghavendra and Antonescu each rallied from a set down to finish off the undefeated singles day and register their first Hoosier victories.
Sunday proved to be a tougher day for the Hoosiers, as they only picked up four wins out of nine matches against Tennessee.
Bright spots for Indiana included a competitive 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 singles win from sophomore Nikola Kolyachev, as well as a stifling 6-0 doubles victory from Antonescu and Raghavendra.
The final victory of the weekend belonged to Gelletich, who closed out the invite with a 6-0, 6-1 triumph to stay undefeated in singles to begin his college career.
Next up for Indiana is the Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American Championship from Sept. 21-28 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
