TYLER, Texas -- The Midwestern State men's tennis season came to an end with a 4-1 loss to UT Tyler at Summers Tennis Center in the 2023 NCAA Division II South Central Regional.

Stephen Slocombe earned the only point for the Mustangs with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Yudai Watanabe at No. 6 singles. Slocombe got a measure of revenge after losing a decisive match to Watanabe in the regular season matchup at Summers Tennis Center, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, and the Patriots clinched the Lone Star Conference regular season title with a 4-3 victory over the Mustangs.

Charles Heffernan and Killian Guillou scored a victory at No. 3 doubles to start the day. The duo defeated Jonas Dixon and Jordi Garcia of the Patriots, 6-4. Gonzalo Fernandez and Egor Shestakov, ranked No. 11 in the nation, kept UT Tyler in the doubles point with a 6-4 victory over Luis Diaz Argente and Slocombe at No. 1 doubles.

The first point of the day was decided by a tiebreak at No. 2 doubles. Joaquin Bianchi and Carl Wessel, ranked No. 49 in the nation, upended 26th-ranked Germano Setti and Marcal Miret Avante, 7-6 (4).

After Slocombe secured his victory in singles, the Patriots won the next three singles matches.

Ninth-ranked Fernandez defeated Heffernan at No. 2 singles, 6-3, 6-1. Fernandez earned his second win against the Australian in a span of 17 days. Heffernan lost three of his final four singles matches and finished the campaign with a 10-11 record. Six of the losses came against nationally ranked opponents.

Joaquin Bianchi, ranked No. 6 in the nation, defeated Diaz for the second time this month with a 6-4, 6-4 triumph at No. 1 singles. Diaz won his two completed matches before his rematch with Bianchi, who took the first encounter, 6-4, 6-1, on April 11. Diaz finished the campaign with a 12-11 record in singles and was 9-9 in the No. 1 position for the Mustangs. The 45th-ranked Spaniard was 1-5 against nationally ranked opponents this season.

Carl Wessel secured a spot in the Round of 16 for UT Tyler with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Setti at No. 4 singles. Setti took a 5-3 lead in the second set, but Wessel won four straight games to clinch the dual.

Setti beat Jordi Garcia at No. 5 singles in the regular season meeting, and Wessel retired in his matchup with Guillou earlier this month. Setti, the Freshman of the Year in the Lone Star Conference, finished the season with a 16-8 record in singles, and he was 9-5 in the No. 4 position.

UT Tyler makes its second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Round of 16 in its second season of eligibility.
The Mustangs finish the season with a 14-11 record, appearing in the NCAA Division II Men's Tennis Championship for the 10th consecutive season and 20th time overall.
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