LYNCHBURG, Va. – Longwood graduate student Jourdan Kast and the doubles duo of Rosen Naydenov and Luis Reis both won their opening bouts in the main draws on the first day of the ITA Atlantic Regionals Friday at the Liberty Tennis Complex.
 
Kast, a graduate transfer from South Florida, took down Virginia Tech's Ryan Bernstine 7-5, 6-1 in his round-of-64 opener to move into the round of 32 at the three-day regional tournament hosted by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. He fell in that follow-up to William & Mary's Daniel Pellerito to move into the back draw, where he will face James Madison's Mario Pena Saturday morning.
 
Meanwhile, Longwood's doubles duo of Naydenov and Reis continued their strong fall with an opening-round win over William & Mary's Sean Joseph and Sebastian Quiros 8-6. That win followed a flight sweep at last weekend's Richmond Invitational in which they went 3-0. The senior-freshman tandem will have an opportunity to run their win streak to five in their round-of-16 matchup against Virginia Tech's Carlo Donato and Alex Ix Saturday morning.

Senior Guillermo Cagigas and junior Ernesto Rocabert also competed in both singles and doubles, with each of those upperclassmen bouncing back from main-draw losses to win their back-draw battles in straight sets. Cagigas fell to James Madison's Oscar Hernandez in the round of 64 but responded with a 6-4, 6-0 takedown of Radford's Manfredi Vergine.
 
Rocabert matched Cagigas, bouncing back from a three-set main-draw loss to Virginia Tech's Scott Sulley to upend James Madison's Mathieu Josserand 6-4, 6-1 in the back draw.
 
Day two of the tournament will see all five Lancers compete in singles play in the back draw and Naydenov and Reis look to advance to the quarterfinals of the doubles main draw.
 
ITA Atlantic Regionals
October 15, 2021 (Day 1 of 3)
Lynchburg, Va. (Liberty Tennis Complex)
 
Singles Main Draw
Jourdan Kast (LWU) def. Ryan Bernstine (VT) 7-5, 6-1
Daniel Pellerito (W&M) def. Jourdan Kast (LWU) 6-2, 6-1
Michael Walser (ODU) def. Rosen Naydenov (LWU) 6-1, 6-2
Scott Sculley (VT) def. Ernest Rocabert (LWU) 6-4, 1-6, 6-3
Oscar Hernandez (JMU) def. Guillermo Cagigas (LWU) 6-3, 6-1
Aditya Balsekar (RAD) def. Luis Reis (LWU) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
 
Singles Back Draw
Andres Silva (RAD) def. Rosen Naydenov (LWU) 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
Ernest Rocabert (LWU) def. Mathieu Josserand (JMU) 6-4, 6-1
Guillermo Cagigas (LWU) def. Manfredi Vergine (RAD) 6-4, 6-0
Omar El Kadi (LIB) def. Luis Reis (LWU) 6-3, 6-1
 
Doubles Main Draw
Rosen Naydenov/Luis Reis (LWU) def. Sebastian Quiros/Sean Joseph (W&M) 8-6
Ryan Bernstine/Matt Harper (VT) def. Guillermo Cagigas/Ernest Rocabert (LWU) 8-4
 
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