Georgia Southern University
James Madison
Eagles Move Into Semis With 4-2 Win Over JMU
4/17/2026 7:44:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Georgia Southern knocks off the Dukes in the SBC Tournament Quarterfinals on Friday in Rome
ROME, Ga. - No. 3-seeded Georgia Southern men's tennis moved into the 2026 Sun Belt Conference Tournament semifinals with a 4-2 win over No. 6 seed James Madison on Friday afternoon at the Rome Tennis Center.
The Eagles (11-8) will now advance to face No. 2 seed Troy - 4-0 winners over seventh-seeded Southern Miss - at 2 p.m. on Saturday. James Madison sees its season come to a close with a 13-8 record. It's the third straight season in which Georgia Southern has advanced to the Sun Belt Tournament semis.
Much like the regular season meeting between the two teams, which the Eagles also won by a 4-2 score, James Madison would pick up the doubles point. The Dukes won at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles, while the Eagles' pair of Matthew Mitchell and Willy Mirarchi picked up a 7-5 win at No. 3 doubles.
In singles play, the Eagles won four of six first sets, then took a 2-1 lead thanks to Willy Mirarchi's 6-3, 6-3 win over Francisco Sinopoli at No. 3 singles and Albert Widell's 6-2, 6-3 win over Zach Flesihman at No. 5 singles.
James Madison used a straight set win at No. 6 singles to even the match at 2-all, and all three remaining singles matches were ticketed for three sets. Albert Saar earned a 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 win over Esteve Agusti at No. 1 singles for the Eagles, then Gregoire Delattre delivered the clincher with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Aurelien Schmitt at No. 2 singles.
"I feel like the doubles point was a lot different because the first match, they blitzed us," Georgia Southern head men's tennis coach Andrew Goodwin said. "Today, after handling our nerves, we got into a position to possibly close it out. We didn't, but the thing I thought was great was that we immediately put them in a situation in singles where they knew we don't care about what just happened, we care about what is happening. As soon as we invest in that mindset, we are pretty tough.
"I saw a lot of toughness and a lot of maturity," Coach Goodwin said about the third sets in the wins by Delattre and Saar. "Saar was down a break, 2-4 and love 15 and wins four straight games to come back against an opponent that was really picking at him. Gregoire did a great job because he did not start that match well, and after having some chances, being 3-all and 15-40 serving, he wins three straight games to close the match. I was really proud of how far those guys dug in."
Georgia Southern 4, James Madison 2
Results
Singles
1. Albert Saar (GS) def. Esteve Agusti (JMU) 6-3, 1-6, 6-4
2. Gregoire Delattre (GS) def. Aurelien Schmitt (JMU) 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
3. Willy Mirarchi (GS) def. Francisco Sinopoli (JMU) 6-3, 6-3
4. Edoardo Santoni (GS) and Ryan Morgan (JMU) 7-6 (5), 4-6, unfinished
5. Albert Widell (GS) def. Zach Fleishman (JMU) 6-2, 6-3
6. Gur Libal (JMU) def. Davis Taylor (GS) 6-2, 6-2
Doubles
1. Esteve Agusti/Aurelien Schmitt (JMU) def. Gregoire Delattre/Davis Taylor (GS) 7-5
2. Gur Libal/Zachary Fleishman (JMU) def. Albert Saar/Albert Widell (GS) 7-6 (3)
3. William Mirarchi/Matthew Mitchell (GS) def. Francisco Sinopoli/Harrison Lee (JMU) 7-5
Order of Finish
Singles: 3, 5, 6, 1, 2
Doubles: 3, 1, 2
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,1,2
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
3,5,6,1,2
Players Mentioned
