RESULTS

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Men's tennis finished out their fall season with a very successful weekend at the Connecticut State Championships hosted by Yale University.

Stag duo of Erik Kremheller (Riverside, Conn.) and Joe Michalisin (Melville, N.Y.) captured the doubles title this afternoon after defeating Quinnipiac's Brian Mikkelson and Eric Weeden, 8-5. Kremheller and Michalisin played Hartford's Bhalla and Isaacson to 3-0 before the pair from Hartford retired, sending Michalisin and Kremheller to the semifinals where they took care of Yale's Samaha and Chase 8-2, to face Mikkelson and Weeden in the finals. The Fairfield pair finished their 2010 fall season where they started, as the duo began the fall by capturing Flight A doubles at the Fairfield Doubles Festival back in September.

Mark Kremheller (Riverside, Conn.) and Bjorn Merinder (Andover, Mass.) won their opening match in doubles play over UConn's Lin and Cardona 9-8, but were edged by Sacred Heart's Mazzarese and Conrad 8-5 in the round of 16. In consolation play, the two topped Hartford's de los Santos and Masciotra 8-4, but then were topped by Quinnipiac's Kwei and Lazerowich.

Dan Sauter (Franklin Lakes, N.J) and Reece Breault (Binningen, Switzerland) were also successful in their first round match topping UConn/Sacred Heart combo of Visinski and Harvey 8-1. Sauter and Breault were then topped by Mikkelson and Weeden 8-5. They lost their quarterfinal consolation match to Sacred Heart's Kasyanov and Ujick 9-8.

After a round of 64 bye, Dennis Zlobinsky (Greenvale, N.Y.) and Rob Ferrante (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) fell to UConn's Marcus and Warden 6-2. Zlobinsky and Ferrante were topped by Sacred Heart's Miller and Sullo in their quaterfinal consolation match 8-4.

In singles play, seven Stags advanced to the round of 32, and four made it to the round of 16. Junior Dan Sauter made it to the semifinals, but fell to eventual winner Kirill Kasyanov from Sacred Heart 6-3, 6-4. Sauter began the day with a bye in the round of 64, he then defeated UConn's Wei Lin 5-7, 6-1, and 10-3 in the round of 32. The junior advanced to the semifinals after topping Yale's Erik Blummerkranz 7-6, 6-4 in the quarterfinals. Sauter's solid weekend brought him within one of the 100 combined victories mark, as he enters the spring season with 99.

Junior Joe Michalisin advanced to the quarterfinals of singles play. He started the weekend off with a 7-5, 6-2 match over UConn's Ryan Carr in the round of 32. He went on to edge Yale's Zach Dean 6-7, 6-2, 10-6 in the round of 16 before falling to Yale's Jordan Abergel 7-6, 6-4, in the quarterfinal match.

Freshman Dennis Zlobinsky advanced to the round of 16 in singles play by defeating UConn's Nic Visinski 6-3, 6-4 and Yale's Patrick Chase 6-3, 7-6. Zlobinsky also fell to eventual singles winner Kasyanov 6-1, 6-3 from Sacred Heart in the round of 16. Freshman R.J. Mirabile also made his way to the round of 16 by defeating Yale's Tommy Ratchford 6-3, 6-2. Mirabile was edged in a tough match by Quinnipiac's James Kwei 4-6, 6-3, 10-2, in the round of 16.

Sophomore Erik Kremheller also won his first match over Sacred Heart's Mike Syer 6-3, 6-4 but was edged by UConn's Andrew Marcus 6-4, 3-6, 10-6 in the round of 32. In consolation play, Kremheller defeated Quinnipiac's Francis in the round of 16, 6-0, 6-1. He then topped Sacred Heart's Mazzarese 4-6, 6-4, 12-10.

Bjorn Merinder won his opening match against Hartford's Fil Miletic 6-0, 6-3 but was topped by Yale's Kyle Dawson 6-0, 7-5 in the round of 32. In consolation play, Merinder lost his match to UConn's Warden, 6-1, 6-3. Rob Ferrante was victorious over Sacred Heart's John Harvey 6-0, 6-1 in his opening match but was topped by Yale's Ryan Berman 6-2, 6-3 in the round of 32. 

Reece Breault was edged by Quinnipiac's Alex Lazerowich 6-3, 1-6, 10-5 in his opening match but advanced to the semifinals in the consolation bracket. Breault defeated Hartford's Neve's 6-4, 7-6 and Quinnipiac's Shapiro 6-0, 6-2, to advance to the finals.

The 2010 Connecticut State Championships marked the first time in three years that a non-Yale team has won a singles or doubles title. The Fairfield men's tennis team looks to continue their fall success in January when they beging their spring season.