Vols Wrap Up Qualifying Round at Birmingham F29 Futures

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Four Tennessee men's tennis players competed at the ITF Birmingham F29 Futures tournament this past weekend, combining for a 12-3 record in the singles qualifying draw at the Highland Park Tennis Center.

Timo Stodder (Berlin, Germany) led the way with a 4-0 record for the weekend to qualify for event's main draw. The Tennessee senior swept Parrish Preston 6-0, 6-0 in the opening round before topping fourth-seeded Roberts Grinvalds of Georgia State in three sets, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. Stodder advanced to the fourth and final round of qualifying with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Wake Forest's Rrezart Cungu.

In a battle of Tennessee senior co-captains, Stodder defeated Preston Touliatos 6-3, 6-1 to claim one of eight qualifying spots for the main draw. This marks the second time that Stodder has accomplished this feat, also reaching the main draw in 2015.

Touliatos (Birmingham, Ala.) picked up three consecutive straight-set victories in his hometown tournament before facing Stodder in the fourth round. The senior dropped Varun Jayaram 6-0, 6-1 before earning back-to-back wins over SEC opponents, dispatching Gregor Ramskogler (Mississippi State) 7-5, 6-4 and Jan Soeren Hain (Ole Miss) 6-4, 6-0.

Aussie junior Scott Jones (Perth, Australia) went 3-1 in qualifiers, opening up with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Slovenian Aljaz Jakob Kaplja. Jones then topped Patrick Sebastian (USA) 6-3, 6-1 before triumphing past Quentin Couland of Georgia State in three sets, 6-3, 0-6, 6-1. In the final qualifying round, Jones fell to Giles Hussey in another three-setter, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 to end his run in Birmingham.

Tennessee freshman Pat Harper (Brisbane, Australia), the No. 13 seed in qualifying, posted a 2-1 record on the weekend. Harper took care of Daniel Prado Contreras, 6-2, 6-2 before grinding out a three-set victory over Manoel Felipe De Alencar, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. Harper's tournament came to an end in the third round, falling to Clemson's Simon Baudry 6-0, 6-2.

Up next, Stodder will face Argentinean Alan Kohen in the Main Draw singles round of 32, while Stodder/Touliatos will compete in the Main Draw doubles round of 16 against top-seeded Justin Butsch/Boris Arias Tuesday morning.

For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee men's tennis, follow @Vol_Tennis on Twitter.

Birmingham F29 Futures
Singles
Timo Stodder def. Parrish Preston, 6-0, 6-0
Timo Stodder def. [4] Roberts Grinvalds, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
Timo Stodder def. Rrezart Cungu, 6-2, 7-5
Timo Stodder def. Preston Touliatos, 6-3, 6-1
Preston Touliatos def. Varun Jayaram, 6-0, 6-1
Preston Touliatos def. Gregor Ramskogler, 7-5, 6-4
Preston Touliatos def. Jan Soeren Hain, 6-4, 6-0
Scott Jones def. Aljaz Jakob Kaplja, 6-3, 6-3
Scott Jones def. Patrick Sebastian, 6-3, 6-1
Scott Jones def. Quentin Couland, 6-3, 0-6, 6-1
Giles Hussey def. Scott Jones, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3
[13] Pat Harper def. Daniel Prado Contreras, 6-2, 6-2
[13] Pat Harper def. Manoel Felipe De Alencar, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
Simon Baudry def. [13] Pat Harper, 6-0, 6-2

University of Tennessee Athletics

Vols Wrap Up Qualifying Round at Birmingham F29 Futures

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Pat Harper

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Timo Stodder

Preston Touliatos

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