What you need to know
* The Panthers earned a 4-1 victory over the Trojans in the semifinals Saturday afternoon to advance to the championship match.
* The team is 18-6 on the season, with Zackery Kennedy earning his third match-clinching point of the season.
* GSU will play for a Sun Belt title and an automatic NCAA Tournament bid tomorrow at 3 p.m. tomorrow.
NEW ORLEANS- The No. 37 Georgia State men's tennis team defeated No. 4 seed Troy 4-1 Saturday afternoon to advance to the Sun Belt Championship finals. Senior Zackery Kennedy earned the match-clinching point for GSU, his third this season.
With the win, the Panthers improved to 18-6 overall while the Trojans fell to 14-11 overall.
Georgia State got the ball rolling early, earning the doubles point in straight sets. Sebastian Acuna and Jack MacFarlane defeated Mustapha Belcora and Pablo Moreno 6-3 before Kennedy and Andrei Andrukhou clinched the point with a 6-3 win in the No. 1 match.
The Trojans tied the match 1-1 as Felipe Jaworski fell 6-4, 6-2 to Amer Bedwan, but Coulaud pulled the Panthers ahead with a tie-breaker win in the No. 4 match. GSU went up 3-1 in the No. 3 match, with Jannis Koeke defeating Andy Lau 3-6, 6-3, 6-0.
Kennedy put it away for Georgia State in the No. 1 match, earning a 7-5, 7-5 victory over Hassan Ndayishimiye.
The Panthers will play South Alabama tomorrow in the final round of the championship. First serve is set for 3 p.m., with live stats available at GeorgiaStateSports.com and SunBeltSports.org. Live streaming of the match will be on ESPN3.
Final Results
Singles:
1. Kennedy,Zackery (GSU) def. Hassan Ndayishimiye (TROY) 7-5, 7-5
2. Andrukhou,Andrei (GSU) vs. Pablo Moreno (TROY) 4-6, 6-3, 2-3, unfinished
3. Koeke,Jannis (GSU) def. Andy Lau (TROY) 3-6, 6-3, 6-0
4. Coulaud,Quentin (GSU) def. Mustapha Belcora (TROY) 2-6, 6-1, 6-1
5. Acuna,Sebastian (GSU) vs. Jaiqi Duan (TROY) 6-4, 4-6, 2-1, unfinished
6. Amer Bedwan (TROY) def. Jaworski,Felipe (GSU) 6-4, 6-2
Doubles:
1. Andrukhou,Andrei/Kennedy,Zackery (GSU) def. Andre Baldo/Hassan Ndayishimiye (TROY) 6-3
2. Acuna,Sebastian/MacFarlane,Jack (GSU) def. Mustapha Belcora/Pablo Moreno (TROY) 6-3
3. Coulaud,Quentin/Jaworski,Felipe (GSU) vs. Andy Lau/Filip Mansson (TROY) 4-4, unfinished
