
No. 61 Men’s Tennis Defeats NIU in Home Opener
2/21/2025 3:30:00 PM | MEN'S TENNIS
DePaul opens George Lott Classic with victory
CHICAGO – After conceding the doubles point on Friday morning, No. 61 DePaul men's tennis roared back with five straight singles wins, securing a 5-2 victory over Northern Illinois to open the inaugural George Lott Classic. Junior Pablo Torres Almeida sealed the match at No. 2, rallying for a third-set comeback to clinch the win for the Blue Demons.
The Blue Demons (5-5, 1-0 BIG EAST) earned their first victory as a ranked team inside the ITA Top 75 since March 3, 2012, when they topped Western Michigan 4-2. Now, DePaul sets its sights on cracking the top 50 for the first time in program history.
Despite Thomas Giles and Torres Almeida leading 5-2 at No. 3 doubles, DePaul dropped matches at No. 1 and No. 2, 6-0 and 6-2, respectively, allowing the Huskies to strike first.
Like the temperatures in Chicago, the Blue Demons heated up in singles play, rattling off four consecutive straight-set victories.
Freshman Marko Milosavljevic ignited the comeback, dismantling NIU's Bo Suo Nan 6-0, 6-2 at No. 3.
Giles kept the momentum rolling, notching his fourth singles win of the season—and second at No. 5—with a 6-3, 6-4 performance.
At No. 4, Chicago native Andy Hadziabdic edged out a tight 7-6(3) first set before dominating the second, cruising to a 6-0 finish to push DePaul's lead to 3-1.
Torres Almeida, after dropping the opening set 3-6, stormed back to take down Berdullas 6-3, 6-4, sealing the victory for DePaul.
Quang Vinh Nguyen put the exclamation point on the match with a 7-5, 6-1 win at No. 6, while Matteo Iaquinto battled to a third-set tiebreak before falling 6-7(4), 6-3, 11-9.
UP NEXT
On Saturday, the Blue Demons take on Belmont (9:30 a.m. CT) and Eastern Kentucky (5:30 p.m. CT) at XS Tennis Village. For George Lott Classic streaming and live stats information, click here.
FOLLOW THE BLUE DEMONS
For all the latest information on DePaul Men's Tennis, visit DePaulBlueDemons.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Blue Demons on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
Final Results
No. 61 DePaul 5, NIU 2
February 21, 2025
XS Tennis Village – Chicago, Ill.
Singles
Ike Gaztambide Arrastia (NIU) def. Matteo Iaquinto (DPU) 6-7(4), 6-3, 11-9
Pablo Torres Almeida (DPU) def. Saul Berdullas (NIU) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Marko Milosavljevic (DPU) def. Chiao Bo Suo Nan (NIU) 6-0, 6-2
Andy Hadziabdic (DPU) def. Federico Scotuzzi (NIU) 7-6(3), 6-0
Thomas Giles (DPU) def. Iker Dellien Velasco (NIU) 6-3, 6-4
Quang Vinh Nguyen (DPU) def. Pratyaksh (NIU) 7-5, 6-1
Doubles
Ike Gaztambide Arrastia/Federico Scotuzzi (NIU) def. Jona Gitschel/Tobias Leitner (DPU) 6-0
Saul Berdullas/Sam Klein (NIU) def. Matteo Iaquinto/Marko Milosavljevic (DPU) 6-2
Thomas Giles/Pablo Torres Almeida (DPU) vs. Chiao Bo Suo Nan/Iker Dellien Velasco (NIU) 5-2
Notes
Order of Completion: Doubles 1-2, Singles: 3-5-4-2-6-1
No. 61 DePaul: 5-5
Northern Illinois: 5-5
The Blue Demons (5-5, 1-0 BIG EAST) earned their first victory as a ranked team inside the ITA Top 75 since March 3, 2012, when they topped Western Michigan 4-2. Now, DePaul sets its sights on cracking the top 50 for the first time in program history.
Despite Thomas Giles and Torres Almeida leading 5-2 at No. 3 doubles, DePaul dropped matches at No. 1 and No. 2, 6-0 and 6-2, respectively, allowing the Huskies to strike first.
Like the temperatures in Chicago, the Blue Demons heated up in singles play, rattling off four consecutive straight-set victories.
Freshman Marko Milosavljevic ignited the comeback, dismantling NIU's Bo Suo Nan 6-0, 6-2 at No. 3.
Giles kept the momentum rolling, notching his fourth singles win of the season—and second at No. 5—with a 6-3, 6-4 performance.
At No. 4, Chicago native Andy Hadziabdic edged out a tight 7-6(3) first set before dominating the second, cruising to a 6-0 finish to push DePaul's lead to 3-1.
Torres Almeida, after dropping the opening set 3-6, stormed back to take down Berdullas 6-3, 6-4, sealing the victory for DePaul.
Quang Vinh Nguyen put the exclamation point on the match with a 7-5, 6-1 win at No. 6, while Matteo Iaquinto battled to a third-set tiebreak before falling 6-7(4), 6-3, 11-9.
UP NEXT
On Saturday, the Blue Demons take on Belmont (9:30 a.m. CT) and Eastern Kentucky (5:30 p.m. CT) at XS Tennis Village. For George Lott Classic streaming and live stats information, click here.
FOLLOW THE BLUE DEMONS
For all the latest information on DePaul Men's Tennis, visit DePaulBlueDemons.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Blue Demons on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
Final Results
No. 61 DePaul 5, NIU 2
February 21, 2025
XS Tennis Village – Chicago, Ill.
Singles
Ike Gaztambide Arrastia (NIU) def. Matteo Iaquinto (DPU) 6-7(4), 6-3, 11-9
Pablo Torres Almeida (DPU) def. Saul Berdullas (NIU) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Marko Milosavljevic (DPU) def. Chiao Bo Suo Nan (NIU) 6-0, 6-2
Andy Hadziabdic (DPU) def. Federico Scotuzzi (NIU) 7-6(3), 6-0
Thomas Giles (DPU) def. Iker Dellien Velasco (NIU) 6-3, 6-4
Quang Vinh Nguyen (DPU) def. Pratyaksh (NIU) 7-5, 6-1
Doubles
Ike Gaztambide Arrastia/Federico Scotuzzi (NIU) def. Jona Gitschel/Tobias Leitner (DPU) 6-0
Saul Berdullas/Sam Klein (NIU) def. Matteo Iaquinto/Marko Milosavljevic (DPU) 6-2
Thomas Giles/Pablo Torres Almeida (DPU) vs. Chiao Bo Suo Nan/Iker Dellien Velasco (NIU) 5-2
Notes
Order of Completion: Doubles 1-2, Singles: 3-5-4-2-6-1
No. 61 DePaul: 5-5
Northern Illinois: 5-5
Players Mentioned
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