Box Score CANTON, N.Y.-The Hobart College tennis team opened its 2017-18 season in impressive fashion this weekend at the St. Lawrence University Fall Classic. The Statesmen won four of the five flights in the North Country this weekend.
 
Sophomore Alan Dubrovsky won A flight singles and first-year Walker Anderson captured B flight.  In doubles play, Dubrovsky teamed up with junior Jonah Salita to capture A flight and Anderson paired with junior Patrick Gray to win B Flight. In all, Hobart finished the weekend 15-5 in singles play and 8-2 in doubles matches.
 
In A flight singles, Dubrovsky emerged from an all-Hobart semifinal to finish the weekend with a 4-0 record. In this morning's championship match he defeated junior Jonathan Atwater 6-3, 6-3 to secure the title. Dubrovsky defeated senior Harry Nichols 6-0, 6-1 to reach the championship. In the other semifinal, Atwater edged Salita 4-6, 6-1, 10-8. Dubrovsky opened the tournament with a 9-7 first round victory over Ithaca's Sam McGrath. In the quarterfinals, he cruised to an 8-4 win over Hamilton's Rob Dotterer. Atwater advanced to the semifinals thanks to an 8-6 opening round win and an 8-4 win in the quarterfinals. Salita's road to the semifinals included an 8-3 win over Rochester's Aaron Mevorach and an 8-4 win over Ithaca's Minos Stavrakas. Nichols began the SLU Fall Classic with a 9-8 (4-0) win over Eric Teccee. He advanced to the semifinals after his opponent retired.
 
To say Anderson's first collegiate tournament was a success would be an understatement. He rolled to a 4-0 record in B flight. Anderson defeated Rochester's Yifan Shen 9-7 in his first college match. In the quarterfinals, he cruised to an 8-3 win over RIT's Ben Lynaugh. This morning, Anderson defeated Tammay Thakkar 6-2, 6-2 to secure a spot in the championship match. In the finals, Anderson rolled to a 6-0, 6-3 win over Hamilton's Max Zimmerman.
 
Dubrovsky collected his second championship of the day in A flight doubles. Dubrovsky and Salita topped Hamilton's Lars Scannell and Sam Farber 8-2 to bring the title home to Geneva. In the semifinals, they had to defeat their teammates, Nichols and Atwater, to advance to the championship. Dubrovsky and Salita won this afternoon's semifinal 8-3. Dubrovsky and Salita drew a first round bye so they only played one match on Saturday. They won their quarterfinal 8-1 over Ithaca's Minos Stravakas and Stefan Lazarevic. Atwater and Nichols were 2-0 on Saturday.
 
Anderson and Gray went 3-0 on their way to capturing B flight doubles. After a first round bye, they topped Miles Barry and Arman Tavana 8-2 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Anderson and Gray defeated Damani Eubanks and Yifan Shen 9-8 (5-0) to secure a spot in the championship match. Anderson and Gray closed out Hobart's strong opening weekend with an 8-4 win over Ithaca's Liam Spiegel and Max Prestwich.
 
The Statesmen will be back in action at the end of the month, Sept. 30-Oct. 2, when they travel to Saratoga Springs, N.Y. for the USTA/ITA Northeast Regional Championships.