CAYCE, S.C. –  In their first competition of the 2023-24 academic year, the Converse University men's tennis team competed in singles and doubles competitions at the Conference Carolina Roundup hosted by Erskine College. Sophomore Stanley Waters and freshman Ben Hyde-Smith won their doubles flight to kickoff the season.

Freshmen Takuma Furumaki and Manuel Roncero opened play with a 7-5 victory over their opponents from Belmont Abbey to kickoff the weekend on Friday morning. Their time in the Flight A main draw came to an end in the second round with a 6-3 defeat to their opponents from Mount Olive.

Junior Leopold Morel and sophomore Marty Letessier began play in the Flight B main draw with a dominant opening round victory 6-1 over their opponents from North Carolina Wesleyan on Friday morning. They continued the trend with a 6-3 victory in the second round with a victory over a duo from Coker. Despite making it to Saturday, the pair withdrew due to injury prior to their semifinal matchup.

Waters and Hyde-Smith also competed in Flight B of the doubles competition. They also dominated their opening round opponents from Barton, taking a 6-2 victory before facing little resistance from their second-round opponents from Belmont Abbey. After two victories, the pair made it to Saturday in the main draw. The pair faced their toughest competition of the main draw in the semifinals and won with a 6-4 victory to reach the flight finals. The pair snagged a 6-3 victory in the Flight B finals over a duo from Barton to claim the first weekend victory for the Valkyries.

Sophomore Caleb Davidson and freshman Remedios Naval opened play with a narrow 7-5 victory in the opening round over a duo from Emmanuel University in the Flight C main draw. In the second round, facing a pair from North Carolina Wesleyan who were fresh from a first-round bye, Davidson and Remedios fell 6-2.

Junior Cameron Davies and sophomore Parker Davis received a first-round bye in Flight C's main draw. They defeated their opponents from Emmanuel University 6-3 in the second to end Friday's double competition. The pair lost their semifinal matchup to a different duo from Emmanuel University 6-3.

Furumaki opened up play singles play with a 7-6(4), 6-4 victory in the first round of the Flight A singles on Friday afternoon but fell 6-2, 6-4 in his second round matchup.

Roncero also competed in Flight A of the singles competition and fell in his first match 6-4, 7-5 (10-6).

The Valkyries had five men compete in Flight B singles main draw. Hyde-Smith kicked off the draw with a 6-2, 6-3 victory in the opening round but fell in three sets 2-6, 6-2, 6-10 to his opponent from Coker.

Next in the flight was Davies who fell 6-3, 6-1 in his opening round matchup.

Waters began with two victories in the draw on Saturday. First a 6-3, 6-3 victory over his opponent from Barton propelled him into the second round where he defeated his opponent from North Carolina Wesleyan 6-1, 2-6, 10-4. He cruised to a quarterfinals victory 6-0, 6-2 before ending his time in the Flight B main draw with a 1-6, 6-2, 12-14 loss in the semifinals.

Morel also took an easy victory to open play on Friday morning 6-1, 6-2 before falling 6-2, 6-3 in the second round.

Letessier also faced little resistance in his opening round matchup 6-3, 6-0 before falling in three sets 7-5, 2-6, 10-12 on Friday evening in the second round.

All four Valkyries in Flight C lost their first round matchup.

Converse continues the fall season next weekend, Sept. 15 and 16, in Gaffney as they compete in the Limestone Invitational.

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