LONG BEACH, Calif. – Tom Fawcett returned to action Tuesday to compete in his second USTA Futures tournament, where he fell in the first round to Sebastian Fanselow in a gritty three set match. Teammate Michael Genender also competed in the qualifying draw, where he fell in the finals.
Genender stepped up in the qualifying draw to top the No. 6 seed Nathan Ponwith in the first round in a hard-fought 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win. Next up saw Genender top Jacob Brumm in straight sets 6-2, 6-4 to advance to the finals. The twelfth-seeded Ryan Lipman awaited next, who ended Genender’s run with a 6-4, 6-4 win.
Fawcett opened up the tournament’s first round against Sebastian Fanselow, which saw the Cardinal come out strong, taking a 6-3 win in the first set. Fanselow rallied back to take a 6-0 win in the second before both battled in the third with Fanselow edging Fawcett 7-5.
The Cardinal will set to kick off its dual season next week, hosting Sacramento State and UC Davis on January 20. Match times are set for 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the Taube Family Tennis Center in Stanford, Calif.