Junior Riccardo Roberto and senior Alexey Nesterov helped the Alabama men’s tennis team dominate the season-opening Crimson Tide Four-In-The-Fall tournament over the weekend. The tournament was split into two singles draws featuring two Alabama players in each and two doubles draws featuring an Alabama team in each.

Roberto and Nesterov won the Crimson Doubles Draw as a team and also won Crimson and Houndstooth singles, respectively.

“Riccardo and Alexey were very clear on their game plans today and I think that’s proof of their hard work in practice and it’s had an impact on the young guys in Avi and Marcelo,” head coach George Husack. “When Riccardo and Alexey were given opportunities today, they took full advantage of them.”

Roberto, Nesterov and freshmen Marcelo Sepulveda Garza and Avi Shugar began their tournament Friday by going 4-0 in singles play. Both Roberto and Sepulveda-Garza were drawn in the Crimson Singles Draw and each won their round of 16 matchups. Roberto won his match 7-6(3), 6-2 and Sepulveda-Garza earned his first collegiate win 7-5, 6-1.

On the Houndstooth singles side, Shugar also earned his first collegiate win, 6-2, 7-5. Nesterov got a hard-earned, three-set win to complete the undefeated first day in singles competition for the Crimson Tide.

The first and second rounds of the Crimson and Houndstooth doubles draws were also on Day One of the tournament. In the Crimson draw, Roberto and Nesterov had wins of 8-6 and 8-5 to advance to the finals on Sunday. On the Houndstooth side, Shugar and Sepulveda Garza dropped their opening match 8-6 and their consolation match 8-6, bringing their doubles run to an end.

On Day Two, Roberto and Nesterov each continued their march to championship Sunday. Roberto advanced to the finals of the Crimson Singles Draw by defeating Tim Reutzel (Tulane) 6-3, 7-6(5) in the quarters and Lukas Engelhardt (Ole Miss) 7-5, 6-3 in the semis to advance to Sunday.

Nesterov advanced to the championship of the Houndstooth Singles Draw with wins of 6-4, 6-4 and 7-5, 6-1. Sepulveda Garza and Shugar both dropped their second round singles matchups and the consolation matches.

On championship Sunday, Roberto and Nesterov kicked off their day with a resounding 8-5 win to take the Crimson Doubles Draw final.

In their singles draw finals, Nesterov dominated, winning 6-0, 6-3 to take his second championship for the day.

Roberto rekindled some magic from last year’s Four-In-The-Fall tournament, which he won as a sophomore, and staged a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 comeback win on the Crimson singles side to take his second consecutive season-opening tournament.

Alabama men’s tennis will be in action in two separate tournaments from Sept. 20-22. Husack will send two players to the Milwaukee Tennis Classic and two players to the Gamecock Ranked +1 tournament in Columbia, South Carolina. Both tournaments will begin on Friday. Players participating in each competition will be announced later this week.