BINGHAMTON, July 28, 2019 (Press Release)

Semifinal Saturday at the 2019 Levene Gouldin & Thompson Tennis Challenger wrapped up with Yuichi Sugita and Joao Menezes both advancing to the championship match.

In the first singles semifinal of the day, it was Joao Menezes taking on Evgeny Karlovskiy. With everything on the line, Menezes raced through the first set 6-3 and kept his momentum going into the second. The 22-year-old Brazilian grabbed the break and was able to close out the match with a final score of 6-3, 6-3.

With the win, Menezes continues to build on a stellar year. He will be playing in his second career ATP Challenger final and is expected to crack into the top 200 with a win on Sunday. Next, Yuichi Sugita and Mitchell Krueger took to the court, both looking for the last spot in the final. Sugita cruised through the opening set 6-3, but Krueger mounted a comeback in the second to force the match into a deciding set. Sugita waited until 4-4 to make his move, breaking Krueger and serving out the match with a final score of 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Earlier in the day, the semifinals for doubles were played. In the first match of the day, the No. 1 seeds of Max Purcell and Luke Saville defeated Diego Hidalgo and Martin Redlicki 6-4, 6-2. Next up, No. 2 seeds JC Aragone and Alex Lawson battled past Sekou Bangoura and Teymuraz Gabashvili, 7-6(3), 3-6, 10-7.

The 🇺🇸’s advance!@AragoneJC & @LawsonTennis take down Bangoura & Gabashvili 7-6(3), 3-6, 10-7 to grab their spot in the championship match on Sunday!#BinghamtonChallenger pic.twitter.com/vAFeQZdK1H

— LG&T Tennis Challenger (@BingChallenger) July 27, 2019

Off the court, the tournament hosted its CoreLife Eatery / Moe’s VIP Lunch. The Wilson Free for All was canceled due to inclement weather. The LG&T Tennis Challenger also kicked off the evening Rumble Ponies game, as Alex Lawson threw out the first pitch. On Sunday, the tournament will host a Sugar Lips Ice Cream Shop VIP Brunch from 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Championship Sunday will get underway at 11:00 a.m. with the doubles final. Singles will get underway shortly after the trophy ceremony, with Sugita and Menezes battling it our for the title.