Fredericksburg, Va. - N.C. Wesleyan's men's tennis team opened its 2016 fall slate over the weekend, competing at the annual UMW Fall Classic. Playing at the #1 singles position, sophomore J.D. Telles posted a 2-1 mark with impressive wins over top players from UMW and Division I George Mason. Telles' lone loss came in a three-set tiebreak versus Washington & Lee's Will Bannister, who came away with the 11-9 victory.
Junior Sebastian Sikh went 1-1 at the #2 position, earning a straight-set win over UMW's Michael Fleming (7-6, 6-3). Sophomore Jaime Ortega also picked up a victory in Flight #4 over the Eagles' Ryan Berry (6-7, 6-4, 10-3), while freshman David Appelquist notched his first collegiate win in straights over GMU's Youssef Khallafallah (6-2, 6-2). The Bishops played tough throughout the weekend, dropping seven three-setters versus elite competition.
In doubles play, Mark Sokolov and Ioannis Brokakis teamed for a win in Flight #3, while Appelquist and Ortega paired up for two victories versus George Mason.
Next up for the Bishops is the ITA Fall Regional, which begins on September 30th at Emory University.