Drexel, W&M Make History In Advancing To CAA Men's Tennis Semifinals
Rob Washburn
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (April 17, 2026) – Two lower seeds advanced to the semifinals of the CAA Men’s Tennis Championship for the first time ever as fifth-seeded Drexel defeated #4 Charleston, 4-2, and #6 William & Mary knocked off #3 Campbell, 4-0, in quarterfinal action on Friday at the Mackesy Tennis Center.
The Dragons (14-3) advanced to the semifinals of the CAA Men’s Championship for the fourth time in school history and first time since 2023. The Tribe (10-12) became the first #6 seed to ever reach the semifinals of the tournament.
Drexel got off to a fast start in doubles in the opening match of the day. The Dragons’ No. 3 tandem of Lun Obrul and Anthony Moukarzel rolled past JD Rojas and Dani Farran, 6-1, before Drexel’s top duo of Tarek Erlewein and Will Burridge reeled off the final three games to post a 6-3 win over Charleston’s Jakub Solarski and Eddie Vo to secure the doubles point.
Charleston evened the match 1-1 at No. 4 when Jake Smith blanked Obrul, 6-0, 6-0. Drexel regained the advantage as Moukarzel beat Jordy Locke, 6-2, 6-0 at No. 6 and Antonio Franquis topped Ferran, 6-3, 7-5, at No. 5. The Cougars continued to battle by capturing tiebreakers on three courts, including a 6-3, 7-6 (4) triumph by Leon Harder over Josue Guzman at No. 2. However, Drexel was able to close out the match at No. 3 when Burridge battled past Ram Mude, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-1 at No. 3.
William & Mary jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a strong doubles performance. The Tribe’s top tandem of Gur Trakhtenberg and Oliver Hague cruised past Alexander Fragasso and Maxence Hamon, 6-1. W&M clinched the point at No. 3 when Nikita Bortnichek and Theo Nilsson downed Ethan Richardson and Mikolaj Kowal, 6-3.
The Tribe maintained the momentum in singles. Hague posted a convincing 6-1, 6-1 victory against Fragasso at No. 2 and Dylan Chou followed with a 6-0, 6-2 triumph over Mikolaj Kowal, 6-0, 6-2, at No. 5. W&M closed out the match on Court 3 as Bortnichek rallied from a 5-2 deficit in the second set to beat Aleksandar Hudjec, 6-1, 7-5.
Semifinal action gets underway at 9 a.m. on Saturday as #1 UNCW meets #5 Drexel, followed by #2 Elon against #6 William & Mary at Noon.
2026 CAA MEN’S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP
MACKESY TENNIS CENTER – WILLIAMSBURG, VA
QUARTERFINALS – APRIL 17
#5 Drexel 4, #4 Charleston 2
Singles
#1 Jakub Solarski (CofC) vs. Tarek Erlewein (DREX) – DNF, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 2-2
#2 Leon Harder (CofC) d. Josue Guzman (DREX), 6-3, 7-6 (4)
#3 Will Burridge (DREX) d. Ram Mude (CofC), 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-1
#4 Jake Smith (CofC) d. Lun Obrul (DREX), 6-0, 6-0
#5 Antonio Franquis (DREX) d. Dani Farran (CofC), 6-3, 7-5
#6 Anthony Moukarzel (DREX) d. Jordy Larke (CofC), 6-2, 6-0
Order of Finish: 4, 6, 5, 2, 3*
Doubles
#1 Erlewein/Burridge (DREX) d. Solarski/Eddie Vo (CofC), 6-3
#2 Smith/Mude (CofC) vs. Franquis/Guzman (DREX) – DNF, 4-3
#3 Obrul/Moukarzel (DREX) d. JD Rojas/Farran (CofC), 6-1
Order of Finish: 3, 1*
#6 William & Mary 4, #3 Campbell 0
Single
#1 Gur Trakhtenberg (W&M) vs. Thomas Drapeau (CU) – DNF, 7-6 (5), 0-6, 4-1
#2 Oliver Hague (W&M) d. Alexander Fragasso (CU), 6-1, 6-1
#3 Nikita Bortnichek (W&M) d. Aleksandar Hudjec (CU), 6-1, 7-5
#4 Austin Cohen (W&M) vs. Maxence Hamon (CU) – DNF, 6-4, 4-3
#5 Dylan Chou (W&M) d. Mikolaj Kowal (CU), 6-0, 6-2
#6 Albert Hansen (W&M) vs. Matias Lofink (CU) – DNF, 6-3, 0-6, 0-0
Order of Finish: 2, 5, 3*
Doubles
#1 Trakhtenberg/Hague (W&M) d. Fragasso/Hamon (CU), 6-1
#2 Chou/Hansen (W&M) vs. Drapeau/Hudjec (CU) - DNF, 5-4
#3 Bortnichek/Theo Nilsson (W&M) d. Ethan Richardson/Kowal (CU), 6-3
Order of Finish: 1, 3*