LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (September 13, 2026) – The University of North Alabama men's tennis program completed their time at the Grizzly Invite on Sunday, leaving Lawrenceville, Ga. with 21 wins and junior Satoru Nakajima winning his singles draw.
Nakajima led the Lions by claiming the singles gold draw, earning three victories on his way to the title. Nakajima opened the draw with a 6-0, 0-6, 10-7 victory over Jacksonville's Dahiya before advancing past UAB's Flynn, 7-6 (5), 7-5, in the semifinals.
Nakajima faced fellow Lion teammate Ethan Dasset in an all-UNA championship match, earning a 7-6 (2), 6-4 victory to take first place in the gold draw. Dasset also put together a strong weekend in the gold draw, earning victories over Georgia Gwinnett's Jit Singh, 7-5, 1-6, 13-11, and Georgia Tech's Jonathan Irwanto, 4-6, 6-3, 10-7, before falling to his teammate Nakajima in the championship.
Nakajima earned five wins in the tournament. Two other Lions had five wins apiece, including Dasset and senior Alberto Altur. Freshman Jochi Cuevas Sobejano had three wins, while senior Whit Davis and junior Jip Langerhuizen had two apiece.
Altur and Dasset also teamed up in the double A draw, opening with a 6-4 victory over Georgia Southern's Pimenta and Andrin before falling to UAB's Valek and Valdez, 6-4, in the semifinals. The duo added another 6-2 victory over Georgia Southern's Ronzio and Perez Guzman in an extra match.
Langerhuizen advanced to the championship match of the singles gray draw. Langerhuizen defeated Georgia Gwinnett's Vuglar, 6-4, 6-2, before taking down UAB's Tischner, 6-1, 7-5, in the semifinals. He ultimately fell to UAB's Valek, 7-6 (5), 6-4, to finish second in the draw.
Langerhuizen also competed alongside fellow Lion Samu Dominguez in the Doubles B Draw. The pair fell to UAB's Flynn and Frechet, 6-3, in the opening round before dropping a 6-2 consolation match to Georgia Southern's Attrill and Kleber. The duo later defeated Citadel's Osipov and Hardin, 6-1, in an extra match.
Senior Whitman Davis opened the Grizzly Draw with a 6-1, 6-4 loss to Georgia Tech's Demuth before rebounding in the consolation semifinals with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Citadel's Ladino. Davis fell to UAB's Frechet, 7-6 (1), 6-1, in the consolation final.
UP NEXT
The Lions' next tournament will be held in Nashville, Tenn. at the Vanderbilt Invite on Oct. 2-4.
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