TULSA, Okla. – Two of the top four seeds were eliminated in their opening matches Friday as Tulane, Charlotte, Rice and Memphis advanced to the semifinal round of the American Athletic Conference Men’s Tennis Championship at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.
 
Tulane, the No. 10 seed in the 12-team tournament, scored its second straight win against a higher-seeded team as the Green Wave stunned No. 2-seeded SMU, ending the Mustangs’ bid for a third straight American title. Tulane will face No. 6-seeded Charlotte in the semifinals after the 49ers knocked off No. 3-seeded Florida Atlantic in Friday’s quarterfinals.
 
Top-seeded Memphis and No. 4-seeded Rice advanced as well as the Tigers took a 4-1 win against South Florida and the Owls topped Tulsa by the same score.
 
Complete coverage of The American Tennis Championships, including live scoring of each match, can be found on the conference’s Championship Central site. 
 
 
Tulane 4, SMU 2
Records: Tulane (9-14), SMU (17-10)
 
Luc Hoeijmans won a three-set battle at No. 4 singles to send Tulane - the No. 10 seed in the tournament - to the semifinal round with a 4-2 win against No. 2 SMU Friday morning.
 
Hoeijmans’ clincher came with Tulane holding a 3-2 lead and was one of two singles matches that came down to the wire. While Hoejimans’ match against SMU’s Maks Silagy went to seven games, the No. 6 singles match between Tulane’s Rafael de Alba and SMU’s Jerry Barton went to a 6-6 tiebreaker before Hoejimans picked up the fourth team point.
 
Fynn Kuenkler put Tulane in position to win it after his 6-4, 7-5 victory at No. 5 singles meant that the Green Wave needed only one of the two remaining courts to clinch the victory.
 
The doubles point went to Tulane in similar fashion as Luka Petrovic and Sam Scherer won a 7-5 decision at No. 3 singles to clinch it while the No. 1 contest went to a tiebreaker.
 
Tulane advances to The American Championship semifinals for the second consecutive year after the Green Wave reached the final last year.
 
SMU was led by Trevor Svajda, the No. 34-ranked player nationally, who scored a 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 1 singles. The Mustangs saw a streak of six consecutive wins in the tournament end.
 
 
Charlotte 4, Florida Atlantic 3
Records: Charlotte (16-7), Temple (7-14)
 
Frederic Schlossman’s three-set win at No. 4 singles sent Charlotte to the semifinals of its first American Athletic Conference Championship as the 49ers took a 4-3 win against Florida Atlantic Friday morning.
 
Schlossman’s win capped Charlotte’s comeback from a 3-1 deficit after Florida Atlantic claimed the doubles point and took two of the first three singles matches. The Owls’ Joao Graca was a 6-4, 7-5 winner at No. 3 singles to give Florida Atlantic a 3-1 lead with three matches remaining.
 
Charlotte’s Alex Richards started the 49er comeback with a 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 6 singles, while Vasco Prata was a 6-4, 6-4 winner at No. 2 to tie the match at 3-3.
 
That set the stage for Schlossman, who dropped his first set against Mark Havlicek 7-5, but rallied for a 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 win.
 
Charlotte will face Tulane Saturday for a spot in Sunday’s championship match.
 
 
Rice 4, Tulsa 1
Records: Rice (17-7), Tulsa (15-13)
 
Emir Sendogan won a three-set battle at No. 4 singles and Petro Kuzmenok was a straight-set winner at No. 5 to help Rice to a 4-1 win against Tulsa in a quarterfinal match Friday afternoon.
 
The Owls claimed the doubles point, but the Golden Hurricane used a quick 6-1, 6-0 victory at No. 1 singles by Pierce Rollins to tie the match at 1-1.
 
Tulsa’s Victor Tosetto won his first set at No. 6 singles, but suffered a knee injury that gave a retirement victory to Rice’s Kabeer Kapasi, giving the Owls a 2-1 lead.
 
Kuzmenok followed with a 7-5, 6-1 win at No. 5 before Sendogan clinched it with his 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 victory at No. 4.
 
Rice moves to the semifinal round of its first American Athletic Conference Championship, where the Owls will face top-seeded Memphis Saturday.
 
 
Memphis 4, South Florida 1
Records: Memphis (17-5), South Florida (10-17)
 
Pau Fanlo won in both singles and doubles as No. 1-seeded Memphis opened tournament play with a 4-1 win against South Florida Friday afternoon in a quarterfinal matchup.
 
Fanlo clinched the match with a 6-1, 6-4 win at No. 4 singles, while he opened the contest by pairing with Juan Zabala for a 6-2 decision at No. 3 doubles. 
 
The Tigers built an early 3-0 lead after Maxime Dubouch and Mortiz Kudernatsch won in straight sets at No. 5 and No. 6 singles. The Bulls got on the board in a matchup of ranked players as No. 71 Alvin Tudorica topped No. 58 Pablo Alemany 6-2, 6-3, before Fanlo ended it with his straight-set win at No. 4.
 
Memphis reached the semifinal round of The American Championship for the third straight year as the Tigers look for their first title since 2021.
 
Memphis will face Rice Saturday at noon CT in the semifinals.
 
 
 
2024 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE MEN’S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP
April 18-21 | Michael D. Case Tennis Center | Tulsa, Oklahoma
 

First Round | Thursday, April 18
Match 1: No. 10 Tulane 4, No. 7 UTSA 2
Match 2: No. 6 Charlotte 4, No. 11 Temple 0
Match 3: No. 5 Tulsa 4, No. 12 Wichita State 1
Match 4: No. 8 South Florida, No. 9 UAB 2
Quarterfinals | Friday, April 19
Match 5: Tulane 4, No. 2 SMU 2
Match 6: Charlotte 4, Florida Atlantic 3
Match 7: No. 4 Rice 4, Tulsa 1
Match 8: No. 1 Memphis 4, South Florida 1
Semifinals | Saturday, April 20
Match 9: Charlotte (17-7) vs. Tulane (9-14)	Noon
Match 10: Rice (17-7) vs. Memphis (17-5)	Noon
Final | Sunday, April 21 | ESPN+
Semifinal winners	Noon
all times Central