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Formont earns individual title at Roger Knapp Invitational

September 22, 2014
Simon Formont

Simon Formont

Junior Simon Formont (Orleans, France/Lycee Camille Claudel) won the flight two singles title as the NIU men’s tennis team completed action at the Roger Knapp Invitational at Drake University.

Sophomore Matt Lynch (Cedarburg, Wis./Marquette High School) and freshman Tom Hjertonsson (Gothenburg, Sweden/Akademi Bastad Gymnasium) also reached the championship match in flight three singles.

“It was a pretty good weekend overall,” said NIU head coach Patrick Fisher. “We are still struggling a little bit in doubles but I think that is a little bit expected with how young we are. They are still trying to understand what doubles is all about. Fred (Cadieux), Simon (Formont), Matt (Lynch), Tom (Hjertonsson) and Louis (Hamel) all made the finals of their flight so that is a positive. We made some progress but we still have a long ways to go.”

Formont claimed the crown in flight two with a 7-5, 4-6, 10-7 victory over Mohanad Al-Houni  of Gustavus Adolphus in the championship match. Formont reached the final with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Colin Buckley of Omaha and a 2-6, 6-2, 10-8 victory over Creighton’s Alex Koca.

Matt Lynch

Matt Lynch

Two Huskies, Lynch and Hjertonsson, reached the flight three singles final. Lynch advanced with wins over Mitchell Elofson of Gustavus Adolphus (4-6, 6-0, 13-11) and John Ellis of Omaha (6-1, 6-2). Hjertonsson defeated Mike Psarros from UMKC (7-5, 6-3) and Elliott Baker of Creighton (6-2, 3-6, 10-5). The final between the two Huskie teammates was not contested.

Senior Frederic Cadieux (Verdun, Quebec, Canada/Ediuard-Montpetit) and freshman Louis-Philippe Hamel, reached the singles final in flights one and four, respectively. Cadieux downed Connor Oberle of North Dakota, 6-2, 6-1, and UMKC’s Vunh Pham, 6-1, 6-1, to reach the flight one final before falling to Drake’s Bayo Phillips, 6-2, 7-6 (3). Hamel meanwhile used wins over Creighton’s Aaron Chalstrom, 6-4, 6-1, and Zach Ekstein of Gustavus Adolphus, 6-4, 6-3, to reach the flight four championship where he was bettered by Airam Castellano of UMKC, 6-0, 6-3.

In doubles play, the duo of Cadiuex and Formont reached the championship match in flight one. The Huskie tandem defeated Omaha’s Colin Buckley and John Ellis, 8-2, and UMKC’s Airam Castellanos and Mike Psarros, 8-6, before falling to Motasem Al-Houni and Andres Saenz of Gustavus Adolphus, 8-6, in the final.

NIU will be off for nearly a month before returning to competition Wednesday, Oct. 15, at the ITA Regionals in Ann Arbor, Mich., hosted by the University of Michigan.

For more information on NIU men’s tennis and Huskie athletics, visit www.niuhuskies.com.