ROME, Ga. – Valdosta State men's tennis duo of sophomores Luca Mack and Rodrigo Carvalho opened the 2021 ITA Cup in Rome, Ga., with a straight-set victory over Hillsdale University (Mich.) tandem of Brennan Cimpeanu and Sean Barstow, 7-5, 6-4, to advance to the quarterfinal round of the draw Friday.
 
The match went back-and-forth in the first set with VSU claiming the early lead.  Mack/Carvalho then opened a 5-2 lead in the second set, only to see the opposition win two-straight games and pull within 5-4.  The Blazer duo closed the door for the 6-4 victory.  
 
Mack/Carvalho now will face Azusa Pacific (Calif.) tandem of Leyton Bohren and Miha Velicki Friday at 1:30 p.m. at the Rome Tennis Center.  Bohren/Velicki won 7-6 (4), 6-4 over Davenport (Mich.) duo of Jonathan Bulmer/Juan-Louis van Antwerpen in the Round of Sixteen Thursday.  

If the Mack/Carvalho get past Bohren/Velicki Friday afternoon, they would face the winner of Midwestern State (Texas) duo of Alex Martinez Roca and Ben Westwick or top-seeded doubles team Javier Cueto Ramos and Alvaro Regalado of Columbus State in the semifinal round. 
 
Click on the link to the right of this story for the complete draw and streaming information of the ITA Cup.  Check back with vstateblazers.com Friday afternoon for a complete recap of the match.