Sept. 25, 2003
FAIRFAX, Va. - Several student-athletes from the George Mason men's and women's tennis teams will participate in the DC Metro Championships, which are being held this weekend, Thursday, Sept. 25, through Tuesday, Sept. 30, at the Georgetown and American University tennis courts. Twelve schools from the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan region are scheduled to be in attendance at the six-day tournament.
Men's first round singles matches will take place Thursday and Friday afternoon, while women's singles first round action is planned for Thursday evening and Friday morning. The event is scheduled to have three draws of 32 players each on the men's side and two draws of 32 for the women. In men's doubles, there will be three draws of 16, while the women plan to showcase two draws of 16. A consolation draw is available for all players who lose in the first round.
The Patriot women's tennis team will be in action for the first time this season at the DC Metro Championships. Leading the charge for the Mason women will be sophomores Jenn Dektas (Maineville, OH/Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy), Kelly Melichar (Burke, VA/Lake Braddock) and junior Katie Sloper (Alexandria, VA/Bishop Ireton).
Sloper, who went 5-5 in tournament play last season, captured the flight B consolation draw title at last year's DC Metro Championships, while Dektas and Melichar advanced to the quarterfinals of their respective draws.
For the Patriot men, this will mark their second stint of competition, having played at the Washington & Lee Tournament two weeks ago. Senior Tito Ballester (Lima, Peru), who won individual medallist honors at the W&L Tournament, paces the Mason men's team. Junior Tim Bainton (Chobham Surrey, UK) and sophomore Stephan Dufils (Paris, France/Heritage Academy) will also challenge for medal honors.
Ballester went 6-2 in tournaments last season, advancing to the finals of the 2002 DC Metro Championships flight A draw. Bainton moved on to the round of 16 at last year's Metro Championships, while Dufils went on to the consolation draw quarterfinals.
