Men's Tennis | 4/25/2025 11:02:46 PM

CARY, N.C., April 25, 2025 – The men’s bracket has the top two seeds remaining in the 2025 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Men's Tennis Tournament. No. 1 South Carolina State and No. 2 North Carolina Central, advance to Saturday’s championship match at Cary Tennis Park on April 26, 2025. First serve is set for 12 P.M. broadcasting live on ESPN+. 
 
No. 1 South Carolina State (SCSU) defeated No. 4 Morgan State (MSU), 4-3, while No. 2 North Carolina Central (NCCU) secured a 4-2 victory over No. 3 Norfolk State (NSU) stamping their place in the championship match. 
 
Match 8: No. 1 South Carolina State def. No. 4 Morgan State (M) | 4-3 
 
In a riveting semifinal clash, top-seeded South Carolina State narrowly defeated fourth-seeded Morgan State 4–3 on Friday afternoon at Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C. The victory propels the Bulldogs into their 16th consecutive championship match appearance, where they will vie for their fifth consecutive conference title.  
 
The match commenced with doubles play, where South Carolina State clinched the crucial point by winning two of the three matches.  
 
At No. 1 doubles, Morgan State's duo of Makkijha Brown and Mikeal Carpenter overcame Mikalai Bankou and Novak Novakovic 6–3.

The Bulldogs responded at No. 3, with Iliyas Maratuly and Ivan Pauliuchenka defeating Niles Rachal and Mohamed Ridh Ghettas 6–4.  
 
The decisive match at No. 2 saw Julius Augunas and Aissa Benchakroun edge Yessine Kerouat and Majdi Ben Abdelwahed 7–5, securing the doubles point for South Carolina State. 
 
Morgan State quickly turned the tide in singles play, capturing the first two matches. At No. 1, Mikeal Carpenter defeated Mikalai Bankou 6–4, 6–1, while Makkijha Brown bested Novak Novakovic 6–3, 7–5 at No. 2. 
 
South Carolina State leveled the match with a win at No. 3 as Aissa Benchakroun overcame Majdi Ben Abdelwahed 6–2, 6–3. S.C. State reclaimed the lead with a win at No. 5 as Gabriel Johnson uprooted Yessine Kerouat 6–0, 6–2.  
 
Morgan State knotted the match with Niles Rachal's 6–4, 6–4 win over Julius Augunas at No. 4.  
 
With the match tied 3–3, the outcome hinged on the No. 6 singles match. South Carolina State's Iliyas Maratuly delivered under pressure, defeating Mohamed Ridh Ghettas 6–3, 6–3 to clinch the overall victory for the Bulldogs.  
 
South Carolina State advances to its 16th consecutive championship match on Saturday, April 26.  
 
Match 9: No. 2 North Carolina Central def. No. 3 Norfolk State (M) | 4-2 
 
North Carolina Central punched its ticket to the 2025 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Men's Tennis Championship final after a hard-fought 4–2 semifinal victory over Norfolk State on Friday afternoon at Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C. 
 
The Eagles set the tone early by securing the doubles point with strong performances at the top two positions. 
 
At No. 1 doubles, Rodrigo Alves and Hugo Hidalgo Vega defeated Norfolk State’s Boris Lunin and Vladislav Gorbatenko 6–3. 
 
Fellow Eagles, Kareem Abdul Hakim and Oliver Saarinen clinched the doubles point with a 6–3 victory over Jakub Solarski and Deniz Okyay at No. 2 doubles. 
 
Norfolk State managed a win at No. 3 doubles, with Igor Kubalka and Frederick McRae topping Antoni Pankowski and Leo Fortier 6–4, but NCCU’s earlier wins secured the point. 
 
NCCU kept the momentum going into singles play as Hugo Hidalgo Vega dominated at No. 1 singles, sweeping Vladislav Gorbatenko 6–2, 6–0. 
 
Norfolk State answered back at No. 2, with Jakub Solarski edging Kareem Abdul Hakim 7–6 [7-4], 7–5. 
At No. 3, Deniz Okyay earned another point for Norfolk State, outlasting Rodrigo Alves in three sets: 7–6 [7-2], 2–6, 6–2. 
 
Naresh Bharathy kept NCCU in the lead with a convincing 6–4, 6–0 win over Igor Kubalka at No. 4 singles. 
 
The match was clinched at No. 5 singles, where Antoni Pankowski rallied past Frederick McRae 5–7, 7–5, 6–3 to deliver the Eagles' fourth and deciding point. 
 
The No. 6 singles match between Norfolk State’s Michele Elia and NCCU’s Leo Fortier was left unfinished with Fortier leading after splitting the first two sets. 
 
North Carolina Central will face top-seeded South Carolina State in the MEAC Championship final on Saturday, April 26, at 12:00 p.m. ET, live on ESPN+. 
 
The Eagles will look to claim the program's first-ever MEAC men's tennis title. 
 
For additional information, including brackets, team info, and live scoring, please visit the Tennis Championship Central page at MEACSports.com.