BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Christian Kuehne continued an impressive weekend for Stetson men's tennis Saturday, advancing to the main draw championship match in both singles and doubles to highlight the Hatters' second day of competition at the Country Club of Birmingham Invitational.
Kuehne remained unbeaten on the weekend with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Samford's Vitorio Sardinha on Saturday. After controlling the opening set, Kuehne was tested in the second before closing out the straight-set victory to earn his place in Sunday's singles main draw final.
The win improved Kuehne to 3-0 in singles competition on the weekend without dropping a set.
Kuehne began his run Friday with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over College of Charleston's Jacob Rouleau-Mailly before turning in an even more dominant performance against Southern Miss' Matei Varbanciu, winning 6-1, 6-1. Through his first three singles matches of the tournament, Kuehne has surrendered just 17 games across six sets.
His success carried over into doubles Saturday alongside Lukas Janousek.
Kuehne and Janousek opened doubles play with a 6-3 victory over South Alabama's Victor Frumholz and Harold van Raemdonck. The Stetson pairing followed with another 6-3 win, this time defeating Tennessee Tech's Kai Inoue and Murilo Burckhardt, to punch their ticket to Sunday's main draw doubles final.
The two victories continued a productive fall together for Kuehne and Janousek, who also picked up a doubles victory earlier this month at the Bedford Cup in Orlando.
Janousek added another win of his own in singles Saturday in one of the Hatters' most competitive matches of the weekend. Facing Kennesaw State's Xavier Ferrer, Janousek dropped the opening set 6-2 before responding emphatically with a 6-1 second set.
The match came down to an extended deciding tiebreak, where Janousek prevailed 12-10 to complete the comeback victory. Ferrer entered the weekend after earning a singles qualifying victory at the ITA Southeast Regional Championships earlier this month.
The victory gave Janousek his second singles win of the weekend after he defeated Jacksonville State's Zachary Murphy 6-2, 6-3 on Friday. His lone singles setback came in a three-set battle with Louisiana's Samuel Kyjaci, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.
Alexandre Bergeron and Gian Durrer teamed up for the first time this weekend Saturday and split their two doubles matches.
The duo opened with a convincing 6-2 victory over Tennessee Tech's Ricard Yepez and Linus Rohlin. Bergeron and Durrer then faced North Alabama's Samuel Balfour Dominguez and Jip Langerhuizen, with the Lions taking the match 6-2.
Durrer also returned to singles competition Saturday against ETSU's Arenui Luethi. Luethi earned the victory in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2. Durrer had opened his tournament Friday with an impressive performance against Tennessee Tech's Murilo Burckhardt, taking the match 6-4, 6-0.
Bergeron's opening day featured a tightly contested singles match against Louisiana's William Ribero. Bergeron pushed the first set to a tiebreak and remained close throughout the second before Ribero ultimately prevailed 7-6, 7-5. Bergeron's second scheduled match against North Alabama's Jip Langerhuizen ended via walkover.
Through two days of competition, Stetson has accumulated nine on-court victories across singles and doubles, led by Kuehne's five combined wins. Kuehne is 3-0 in singles and 2-0 alongside Janousek in doubles, while Janousek has added a pair of singles victories of his own.
The Hatters will now have an opportunity to leave Birmingham with a pair of main draw titles Sunday. Kuehne will compete for the singles championship, while he and Janousek will take the court in the doubles main draw final as Stetson closes out the three-day event.
About Stetson Athletics
At Stetson University, student-athletes don't just compete—they thrive. Located in historic DeLand, Florida, between Orlando and Daytona Beach, Stetson offers the perfect blend of competitive athletics, academic excellence, and an unbeatable Central Florida lifestyle. As the oldest private university in the region, Stetson supports approximately 500 student-athletes across 19 NCAA Division I sports. Nicknamed the "Hatters" after the institution's namesake John B. Stetson, a hat manufacturer who originated the modern-day cowboy hat, most Stetson athletic teams compete in the Atlantic Sun Conference, where they proudly hold the longest active membership since 1985. With top-tier facilities, personalized support, and a welcoming campus community, Stetson is where students can grow, compete, and succeed. Learn more at GoHatters.com or follow social media accounts @StetsonHatters.