St. John's University Athletics
Saturday, February 28
Cleveland, Ohio (Medical Mutual Tennis Pavilion)
2 p.m.
St. John's University
6
vs
1
Butler
St. John’s Defeats Butler and Xavier to Open BIG EAST Play
3/1/2026 2:42:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Red Storm improves to 9-1, starts conference slate 2-0
CLEVELAND, Ohio – The St. John's men's tennis team (9-1, 2-0 BIG EAST) closed out its three-match slate in Cleveland with a pair of dominant victories over BIG EAST opponents Butler (3-8, 0-2 BIG EAST) and Xavier (4-7, 0-1 BIG EAST), opening conference play with a 2-0 record. With the wins at the Medical Mutual Tennis Pavilion, the Red Storm improved to 9-1 on the season.
On Saturday against Butler, St. John's secured the doubles point in convincing fashion before earning five singles victories to defeat the Bulldogs, 6-1.
The two-time BIG EAST Doubles Team of the Week duo of Adam Groves and Semen Agynskyy set the tone with a 6-2 win over Nicholas Balthazor and Nicholas Shirley on the No. 3 court. The tandem of Radomir Tomic and Danilo Raicevic clinched the doubles point, cruising past Riccardo Baldi and Arnesh Singh, 6-3.
Leading 1-0, David Petrovic extended the advantage with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Baldi on the No. 2 court. Agynskyy pushed the Red Storm lead to 3-0 with a 6-4, 6-3 win against Nicolas Arts on the No. 3 court. Tomic secured the team victory for St. John's, earning his second win of the day with a 6-3, 6-3 triumph over Ronin Kasday on the No. 1 court.
Butler picked up its lone point on the No. 6 court, but Armando Sotelo and Taichi Wakamatsu added singles victories as the Red Storm finished off a 6-1 win over the Bulldogs.
In Sunday's match against Xavier, St. John's carried its momentum into doubles play before sweeping all six singles matches to secure a 7-0 victory over the Musketeers.
The duo of Groves and Agynskyy continued their strong weekend, earning their third win as a pair with a 6-0 sweep of Bode Campbell and Andrew Spurck on the No. 3 court. Radomir Tomic and Danilo Raicevic followed with a 6-2 victory over Samuel Frizelle and Max Pettingell, clinching the doubles point for the Red Storm.
St. John's extended its lead in singles play, as David Petrovic defeated Pettingell, 6-4, 6-2, on the No. 2 court. Agynskyy capped an impressive weekend with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Alex Kotarski on the No. 3 court, pushing the lead to 3-0. Armando Sotelo secured the team victory with a 6-2, 6-4 triumph over Frizelle on the No. 4 court.
Wakamatsu, Tomic, and Raicevic each added straight-set victories to complete the 7-0 sweep of Xavier.
Following a three-win weekend, the Red Storm will return to action on March 5, traveling to Fort Myers, Fla., to face Mercer at the FGCU Tennis Complex. First serve will be announced at a later date.
Results
Match 1 v Butler
Doubles:
Singles:
Match 2 v Xavier
Doubles:
Singles:
On Saturday against Butler, St. John's secured the doubles point in convincing fashion before earning five singles victories to defeat the Bulldogs, 6-1.
The two-time BIG EAST Doubles Team of the Week duo of Adam Groves and Semen Agynskyy set the tone with a 6-2 win over Nicholas Balthazor and Nicholas Shirley on the No. 3 court. The tandem of Radomir Tomic and Danilo Raicevic clinched the doubles point, cruising past Riccardo Baldi and Arnesh Singh, 6-3.
Leading 1-0, David Petrovic extended the advantage with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Baldi on the No. 2 court. Agynskyy pushed the Red Storm lead to 3-0 with a 6-4, 6-3 win against Nicolas Arts on the No. 3 court. Tomic secured the team victory for St. John's, earning his second win of the day with a 6-3, 6-3 triumph over Ronin Kasday on the No. 1 court.
Butler picked up its lone point on the No. 6 court, but Armando Sotelo and Taichi Wakamatsu added singles victories as the Red Storm finished off a 6-1 win over the Bulldogs.
In Sunday's match against Xavier, St. John's carried its momentum into doubles play before sweeping all six singles matches to secure a 7-0 victory over the Musketeers.
The duo of Groves and Agynskyy continued their strong weekend, earning their third win as a pair with a 6-0 sweep of Bode Campbell and Andrew Spurck on the No. 3 court. Radomir Tomic and Danilo Raicevic followed with a 6-2 victory over Samuel Frizelle and Max Pettingell, clinching the doubles point for the Red Storm.
St. John's extended its lead in singles play, as David Petrovic defeated Pettingell, 6-4, 6-2, on the No. 2 court. Agynskyy capped an impressive weekend with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Alex Kotarski on the No. 3 court, pushing the lead to 3-0. Armando Sotelo secured the team victory with a 6-2, 6-4 triumph over Frizelle on the No. 4 court.
Wakamatsu, Tomic, and Raicevic each added straight-set victories to complete the 7-0 sweep of Xavier.
Following a three-win weekend, the Red Storm will return to action on March 5, traveling to Fort Myers, Fla., to face Mercer at the FGCU Tennis Complex. First serve will be announced at a later date.
Results
Match 1 v Butler
Doubles:
- Wakamatsu/Sotelo vs Arts/Konakanchi, DNF
- Tomic/Raicevic def. Baldi/Singh, 6-3
- Groves/Agynskyy def. Shirley/Balthazor, 6-2
Singles:
- Tomic def. Kasday, 6-3, 6-3
- Petrovic def. Baldi, 6-4, 6-2
- Agynskyy def. Arts, 6-4, 6-3
- Sotelo def. Konakanchi, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
- Wakamatsu def. Shirley, 6-4, 6-3
- Lama def. Tsirikidze, 6-0, 0-6, 4-6
Match 2 v Xavier
Doubles:
- Wakamatsu/Sotelo v Kotarski/Herdoiza, DNF
- Tomic/Raicevic def. Frizelle/Pettingell, 6-2
- Groves/Agysnkyy def. Spurck/Campbell, 6-0
Singles:
- Tomic def. Herdoiza, 6-3, 6-3
- Petrovic def. Pettingell, 6-4, 6-2
- Agynskyy def. Kotarski, 6-2, 6-3
- Sotelo def. Frizelle, 6-2, 6-4
- Wakamatsu def. Spurck, 6-4, 6-0
- Raicevic def. Campbell, 7-5, 7-5
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
Men's Tennis NCAA Selection Show
Tuesday, April 30