2023 Men's Tennis Players of the Week

  • Evan Erb, Washington and Lee, So., #1 Singles, #1 Doubles
    April 24, 2023
    Erb, a sophomore from St. Louis, Mo., helped nationally 25th-ranked Washington and Lee close out the 2022-23 regular season with a 1-1 showing against non-Division III opponents. Erb saw action at No. 1 singles and doubles with partner Evan Brady in the latter for both matches. Erb and Brady took on Efe Comu and Luke Quaynor from Division II member Rollins University. The Generals pair dropped a 6-1 results to their counterparts. Erb account for W&L's team point (L, 1-6) with a 0-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-4) triumph in singles play over Comu. The Generals earned a 9-0 victory over NAIA member Warner University. Erb and Brady posted an 8-4 triumph over Nicolas Fertonani and Davide Pelletti in doubles play. Erb followed with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Lorenzo Ocantos in single action. For the season, Erb is 17-5 in all singles matches including 13-2 at #1. He and played have played all their doubles matches together, going 21-7 for the year.
  • Levi Vigdorchik, Lynchburg, Sr., #1 Singles, #1 Doubles
    April 17, 2023
    Vigdorchik, a senior from San Francisco, Calif, led Lynchburg to a trio of ODAC wins with a perfect 6-0 record between singles and doubles play from the #1 position, helping the Hornets improve to 5-2 in the league table. Vigdorchik teamed with Alex Rintoul at doubles in all three matches. They won 8-5 over Nicolas Alvarado and Dev Mani from Randolph in a 9-0 Lynchburg team win. Vigdorchik won the first set, 6-3, over Alvarado and was leading 4-0 with Randolph's #1 was forced to withdraw due to injury. In a 7-2 win over Hampden-Sydney, Vigdorchik and Rintoul topped Barrett Foster and Casey Coffey, 8-4, in doubles play. Vigdorchik earned a 6-4, 6-4, win over Foster in singles action. The Hornets added an 8-1 win over Randolph-Macon to cap the week. Vigdorchik defeated Holland Baynard, 6-2, 6-2, in singles play and joined Rintoul for an 8-4 triumph over Baynard and Xan Johnston in doubles action. Vigdorchik is now 11-4 in single play. Lynchburg, at 11-5 overall, is enjoying its best season since 2003-04.
  • Artem Babaiev, Shenandoah, Fy., #1/2 Singles, #1 Doubles
    April 10, 2023
    Babaiev, a first-year from Kharkiv, Ukraine, helped Shenandoah pick up a pair of ODAC wins last week to move to 5-1 in the league standings and tied with Averett for second behind Washington and Lee (9-0). Babaiev played at the #1 and #2 positions in singles matches and at the top rung in doubles action with the Hornets defeating Virginia Wesleyan, 6-3, and Ferrum, 9-0, in two home matches. He teamed with Jovan Cirkovic on both occasions in doubles play. They topped Felix Bevc and Alen Curoic, 8-5, from Virginia Wesleyan and then down Gabriel Alvarez and Kevin Nester, 8-0, from Ferrum. In singles play, Babiev posted a 6-4, 6-2, triumph over the Marlins' #1 player Bevc to mark his first match at the top flight. Babaiev defeated Nester, 6-0, 6-0, at #2 against Ferrum. For the season, Babaiev is 10-0 overall including 9-0 at #2. He and Cirkovic are 7-3 as a doubles tandem, all from the #1 position.
  • Evan Erb, Washington and Lee, So.
    April 03, 2023
    Erb, a sophomore from St. Louis, Mo., collects his ODAC-best third weekly award of the season after helping the nationally 25th-ranked Generals to a trio of ODAC wins over the past week. Erb went 5-0 overall with a pair of wins at #1 singles and a trio of triumphs with partner Evan Brady at #1 doubles. The pair is the fifth-ranked doubles tandem in the ITA's Atlantic South Region. Erb, the fourth-rated singles player in the region, joined Brady for an 8-0 victory over Bridgewater's Matthew Leonard and Noah Hughes in Washington and Lee's 9-0 team win. W&L's duo then defeated Levi Vigdorchik and Alex Rintoul, 8-4, in a 9-0 squad win over Lynchburg. Erb topped Vigdorchik, 6-1, 4-6, 10-5, to collect a second point. The Generals #1 player made it two singles wins on the week in a 7-2 triumph over Averett. Erb defeated Shori Nishizoe, the 24th-ranked player in the region, by a 6-1, 6-3 tally. Erb and Brad posted an 8-5 victory over Rufus Nurminen and Martinho Goncalves in doubles play. For the season, Erb is 15-5 in all singles matches including an 11-2 mark at #1. He and Brady have teamed up for 26 doubles matches, going 20-6 overall with an 11-4 mark from the top flight.
  • Felix Bevc, Virginia Wesleyan, Jr., #1 Singles, #1 Doubles
    March 27, 2023
    Bevc, a junior from Frankfurt am Main, Germany, put together a strong week in top-flight singles and doubles action as Virginia Wesleyan went 2-1 as a team against strong competition. Bevc was joined by Alen Curovic in a three doubles outings against Rhodes College, Roanoke College, and University of Lynchburg. The Marlins pair posted an 8-5 win over Christian Mainella and Daniel Trudell against Rhodes. Bevc added a 6-4, 6-2 win over Trudell in singles play to account for VWU's second point in a 7-2 setback to the Lynx. Bevc and Curovic downed Roanoke's Federico Maccari and Julio Marques to help the Marlins to a 9-0 victory over the Maroons. Against Lynchburg, Virginia Wesleyan's top pairing defeated Lauren Muhlhaus and Levi Vigdorchik, 8-3. Bevc added a 6-4, 6-2 triumph over Vigdorchik in singles action on the way to a 5-4 team triumph.
  • Jovan Cirkovic, Shenandoah, Gr., #1 Singles, #1 Doubles
    March 20, 2023
    Cirkovic, a graduate student from Belgrade, Serbia, led Lynchburg to four wins on its spring break trip by going 7-1 overall during top-flight singles and doubles play. Cirkovic teamed with Artem Babaiev in all four doubles that matches. That began with an 8-3 win over Alexander Hadler and Federico Polidori in a 7-2 team victory over Cornell College. Cirkovic defeated Hadler, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, to claim a second point for SU. He and Babaiev were victorious by 8-2 scores in team wins over the College of Wooster and Lake Forest College. They topped Gabriel Escobar and Patrick Johnson from Wooster and downed Oleksyi Vyshyvanyuk and Daniel Tulchinsky from LFC. Cirkovic defeated Escobar, 6-2, 6-2, and Vyshyvanyuk, 5-7, 6-3, 6-0, in singles action. The Hornets duo lost a tight 8-7 (10-8) outing to Siddarth Byreddy and Kenny Elliott from Ramapo College. Cirkovic gained a point back with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Byreddy in singles play, helping Shenandoah claim a 6-3 team result.
  • Evan Erb, Washington and Lee, So., #1 Singles, #1 Doubles
    March 13, 2023
    Erb, a sophomore from St. Louis, Mo., picks up his second ODAC weekly award in as many weeks in helping the nationally 39th-ranked Generals to a 1-1 week. The period began with a narrow 5-4 team loss to Division I competitor UNC-Greensboro. Erb dropped a tough 5-7, 6-2, 3-6 showdown with David Flisberg at #1 singles, but joined Evan Brady for an 8-5 victory at #1 doubles over Wyatt Cannon and Christopher Johns. Erb then helped Washington and Lee down #26 University of Mary Washington, 5-4. He and Brady collected an 8-6 win over Rishi Charan Shankar and Andrew Watson at #1 doubles. Erb then added a 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) win over Shankar at #1 singles. For the season, Erb is 12-5 in singles play including 8-2 from the top flight. He and Brady are 15-6 in all doubles matches.
  • Evan Erb, Washington and Lee, #1 Singles, #1 Doubles
    March 06, 2023
    Erb, a sophomore from St. Louis, Mo., went up against stiff competition in two matches against nationally ranked competition and posted a pair of ranked singles wins. In the first match of the week against nationally eighth-ranked N.C. Wesleyan, Erb, rated 13th in the region by the ITA, captured the Generals point with a win at #1 singles over Tshepo Mosarwa, the 16th-ranked player in the Atlantic South Region by the ITA. Erb won in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2, to help avenge a loss with partner Evan Brady to Mosarwa and Albert Sitwell at #1 doubles, 5-8. Erb came up with his second big win in W&L's 7-2 setback to nationally 11th-ranked Johns Hopkins University. Erb defeated Thomas Yu, the top-ranked player in the region and sixth-best player in the country. Erb won 6-2, 4-6, 10-7. In doubles play, Erb and Brady, ranked 11th nationally and fourth in the region, squared off with Yu and his brother, James, the region's top-ranked and nation's #3 doubles duo. The pair from JHU won a tight contest, 8-7 (7-2).
  • Andres Mercedes, Guilford, Fy., #1 Singles, #1 Doubles
    February 27, 2023
    Mercedes, a first-year from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, helped the Quakers post a pair of 9-0 wins in ODAC play with a 4-0 showing against top-flight competition. He teamed up with Tye Sasser for #1 doubles action against Ferrum College and Roanoke College. They downed Gabriel Alvarez and Kevin Nester from Ferrum, 8-2, and took care of Federico Maccari and Julio Marques from Roanoke, 8-3. In singles action, Mercedes defeated Alvarez in straight sets (6-0, 6-0) and lost just two points in beating Maccari, 6-1, 6-1. Both singles matches were at the #1 ladder position.
  • Federico Maccari, Roanoke, Fy., #1 Singles, #1 Doubles
    February 20, 2023
    Maccari, a first-year from Reggio Emilia, Italy, opened ODAC play with a pair of victories to help Roanoke start the 2023 spring campaign with an 8-1 team victory over Randolph College. Maccari team with Julio Marques to post an 8-7 (7-6) win at #1 doubles over Nicolas Alvarado and Dev Mani. Maccari then legged out a second win over Alvarado at #1 singles as he recovered from a 4-6 loss in the first set to win 6-3 in set two and 13-11 in the final frame.