BLOOMSBURG, Pa. — Davis & Elkins senior Viktor Yanev continued his impressive run through the Atlantic Regional field with two upset victories on Sunday. With these wins, he will now play for the ITA singles championship on Monday afternoon, vying for a berth in the national event next month in Rome, Ga.
Yanev secured a 6-3, 6-3 quarterfinal win over Charleston's Vincente Garcia in the morning, then followed it up with a thrilling 12-10 super tiebreaker victory over UC's Marcelo Pinto after splitting the first two sets.
Yanev's next opponent will be his fifth different seeded competitor, another Golden Eagle, No. 1 Jorge Perez. Perez reached the final after defeating West Virginia Wesleyan's Kihiro Kawasawa 6-3, 6-3.
Garcia was seeded 12th in the field of 64, while Pinto was the No. 5 seed.
With five wins over three days, Yanev has earned his second finals appearance in three years. He was the runner-up to Perez in 2022, when he lost a hard-fought 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 match. Now a senior, Yanev is determined to seize this opportunity.
"I'm pretty happy with my result today and throughout the tournament," Yanev said. "I like my chances tomorrow, and since Perez and I have played before, we know each other's game."
With temperatures in the high 80s all weekend, fitness and stamina played a significant role in the tournament. Yanev feels confident heading into the final.
"My game is very steady and disciplined, which takes a physical toll on my opponent," Yanev said. "I held up pretty well until the last match against Pinto before I started feeling tired, but the adrenaline from the tiebreaker gave me the energy I needed to win."
Earlier in the day, Yanev's teammate Santiago Ordonez fell in straight sets to Pinto, ending his tournament run after three wins. The junior from Colombia pushed Pinto in the second set, coming within a point of evening the match at 4-4, but Pinto broke serve and held on to secure the victory.
"Santiago was a bit overmatched at the start against Pinto, who has an offensive game that can hurt you," head coach Mark Walters said. "But, like his other matches here, he found a way to fight back and make it competitive. I'm very proud of his effort all fall, and I believe he's ready to take the next step for us this season."
Monday's singles final will follow the conclusion of the men's doubles final, which begins at 10 a.m. Perez and Pinto will also compete in that final, facing Fairmont State's Elia Barozzi and Gabe Masu. Notably, all eight singles quarterfinalists and the final four doubles teams in the tournament came from the Mountain East Conference, something Walters and his colleagues appreciated.
"The MEC has definitely stepped up this past year with elite-level play from the top teams, while the middle of the pack has closed the gap," Walters said. "It's becoming a stronger conference across the board, which is great for everyone."
