Murfreesboro, TN – Coming off a year were they leaped to 13^th in the NAIA Poll, the Patriots men's tennis team opened their 2020-2021 season in impressive fashion with Martin Barbier capturing the ITA Regional singles title, while the top-seed tandem of Martin Barbier and Eric Banoub won the ITA Regional doubles title Saturday afternoon.  It marks just the second time in program history and the first since 1999 that UC achieved that feat.

Entering as the top-seed Barbier and Banoub posted a pair of 8-4 wins in their first two matches to advance to the semifinals.  In the semifinals the tandem, who finished the year ranked 17^th in the ITA, defeated Little and Nanao of Montreat 8-3 to advance to the championship match. In the finals, the dynamic duo upended second-seed Nagoudi and Brahahm of Montreat 8-5 to claim the title.  Barbier and Banoub joins Ricky Heath and Yew Ming Si as the only Patriots doubles team to win become ITA regional champions.

In addition to being one-half of the top-seeded doubles pair, Barbier also entered the tournament as the top-seed singles player and continued his run of domination.  The junior posted a perfect 5-0 record en route to capturing his first ITA Regional Title of his career.  Barbier notched a 6-1, 6-2 win in the quarterfinals, before defeating teammate Martin Muller in the semifinals.  In the championship match, Barbier dropped the first before showing his resilience as he mounted a comeback to take the title in three sets. 

Barbier and Banoub have earned automatic berths into the ITA Cup, which will take place October 16-18 in Rome, GA.  Barbier finished runner-up in the singles bracket of the ITA Cup last year. 

UC's other three doubles teams all reached the quarterfinals as well.  Taiki Umeda and Robert Wu Hung-Ju opened doubles play by defeating Lopez and Quintana (FH) 8-1, before knocking of Cumberland's Padilla and Padilla 8-4 to reach the quarterfinals.  The partners fell in the quarterfinals to their teammates Barbier and Banoub.

After receiving a first-round bye, fourth-seed Luis Montull and Martin Muller notched an 8-5 win over Hoyte and Morano of Martin Methodist.  The duo fought hard before falling to Little and Nanao 8-5 in the quarterfinals.  Cumberlands' final doubles team of Christian De La Fuente and Mattis Le Montagner tallied an 8-6 win over Yamade and Gutu of Bethel College, before falling in the quarterfinals.

The Patriots singles players were a force to be reckon over the course of the tournament as UC held five of the eight quarterfinals spots.  Highlighting the Patriots play was Mattis Le Montagne, who knocked off second-seed Adam Nagoudi of Montreat 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals.

The Patriots will return to the court Friday, October 9, when they travel to Owensboro, KY for the MSC Fall Invite.

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