Bears Hold Off Furman, Advance To SoCon Semifinals

Thursday, April 16

Chattanooga, Tenn.

1 p.m.

Mercer University

Furman

Bears Hold Off Furman, Advance To SoCon Semifinals

4/16/2026 5:51:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score

By: Todd Anderson, anderson_t02@mercer.edu

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Junior Alex Aldaz battled back from an opening-set loss at No. 5 singles to take down Landon Ecarma in a deciding third set that gave fourth-seeded Mercer the match-clinching point in a 4-1 win over fifth-seeded Furman in the quarterfinals round of the 2026 Southern Conference Tournament on Thursday.

It was the fifth victory in the last six outings for the Bears (10-12) who will now advance to the semifinals round of the conference championship for the second-straight season. The setback ended the season for the Paladins (8-15) who bested MU, 5-2, in Macon nearly a month ago.

Amen Prince Gandonou and Shingo Masuda broke a 2-2 tie at No. 2 doubles by capturing two consecutive games on the way to a 6-4 win, Hod'Abalo Isak Padio and Nemanja Stefanovic won three-straight games to grit out a similar 6-4 win in the featured doubles match.

Walker Allen knotted things up at one apiece on the team scoreboard with a quick 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 4 singles, but that triumph was followed with consecutive straight-sets wins by both Masuda and Padio that gave the Orange & Black a 3-1 edge.

Aldaz was on the wrong end of a 6-4 decision in the opening set of his matchup with Ecarma on Court No. 5, but won the last four games in the second set to even things back up with a 6-2 score. A 6-4 victory for Aldaz in the third set gave the match to the Bears.

Mercer will be back on the courts on Friday at 2 p.m. to face top-seeded East Tennessee State.