Flagler men's tennis team dominates Columbus to reach NCAA Division II championship match

The Flagler College men's tennis team last won a national championship 38 years ago when it was an NAIA program under legendary coach Peter Scott.

The Saints now have a chance to add their first NCAA Division II title.

Top-seeded Flagler beat No. 4 Columbus State 4-1 on Friday at the Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs to advance to Saturday's national final against No. 2 Valdosta State, which defeated third-seeded St. Leo 4-3.

The matches will begin at 9 a.m.

Flagler (22-2) beat Valdosta (24-3) 4-3 in the quarterfinals of the ITA Division II Indoor Championship Feb. 16 in Indianapolis.

Saints dominated singles matches

The Saints won four of the six singles matches, with two others left unfinished after Phillip Lemken clinched the fourth point with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 victory over Elias Peter for his 13th singles victory in a row.

Also winning for Flagler was Jacopo Denitto at No. 1 singles, beating Justin Welz 6-3, 6-2; Baptiste Mercier at No. 2, outlasting Thomas Cardona 3-6, 6-1, 6-1; and Ilian Borlee at No. 4, topping Daniel Hammond 7-5, 6-3.

The Saints' only loss came at No. 2 doubles when Camilo Cano-Justin Welz defeated Borlee-Mercier 7-6 (7-4).

Valdosta was led by two three-set singles victories. Boruch Skierkierd beat Vince Thiel 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3) and Chris Wedel beat Luis Iriarate 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.

Counting the Peach Belt tournament, Flagler has gone 8-0 in the postseason. The Saints' deepest foray into a national tournament since moving into NCAA Division II in 2009 came in 2022 when they reached the final four.

How to watch the Flager-Valdosta match

The championship will be live-streamed on ncaa.org.

Here is the NCAA championship steaming schedule.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Flagler men's tennis team dominates Columbus to reach NCAA Division II championship match