ORLANDO, Fla. – The fifth-seeded George Mason University men's tennis team nearly picked up an A-10 Quarterfinal win on Friday morning at the USTA National Campus but fell just short, as No. 4 Saint Louis rallied for a 4-3 win.
 
The Patriots won the doubles point, and with the score tied 3-3 it came down to the final match at No. 2 singles, where junior Jacco Arends fought until the end, but dropped an 8-6, third-set tiebreaker.
 
In doubles, sophomore Monil Lotlikar and junior Niza Simunyola wrapped up their stellar campaign with a 6-3 win at the top spot. They finish the season 12-5 in dual action and 3-2 against Atlantic 10 foes.
 
The Patriots clinched the doubles point at No. 2, where Arends and sophomore Zavan Fahim took down Ryota Fukushima and Theo Ortis, 6-3. That duo ended the season with an impressive 4-0 dual record together at the No. 2 position.
 
In singles, Lotlikar wrapped up his outstanding end to the season with a dominant 6-1, 6-2 triumph over Fukushima at No. 1. Lotlikar went 4-1 against A-10 opponents from the top spot in 2024.
 
Saint Louis responded with wins at No. 3 and No. 5 to tie up the match, 2-2. Then, with a victory at No. 6, the Billikens claimed a 3-2 edge.
 
Graduate student Momin Khan equalized the score at 3-3 for the Green & Gold. He took down Luca Lo Nardo, 7-5, in the first set at No. 4, then won the second 6-3. He went 10-5 at the No. 4 position in 2024 to complete a fantastic five-year career with the Green & Gold.
 
At No. 2, Arends dropped the first set, 6-0, but rallied to grind out a 7-5 win in the second set. He led 5-3 in the third, but Castellanos got a key break, then tied it up at 5-5. In the tiebreaker, Castellanos rallied to take an 8-6 win.
 
It proved to be another momentum-creating season for the Patriots. Mason posted its best-ever A-10 winning percentage (3-1, .750) and matched the program's best overall seed in the A-10 Championship.