RESULTS (PDF)

SPOKANE, Wash. — Nathan Boniel has never met a semifinal he didn't like.
 
Boniel made the semifinals of the "A" singles flight at the Bulldog Classic Saturday with a three-set win over Vincent Rettke of host Gonzaga. The win continued what has easily been the best fall season of any Portland State men's tennis player in school history.
 
Boniel became the first Viking to win the Dar Walters Fall Classic in the team's first tournament of the fall season, and then beat two players from Pac-12 players en route to the quarterfinals of the ITA Northwest Regional. Boniel now has a 12-1 record in singles this fall, with his lone loss coming to Jack Molloy of Cal in the quarterfinals of the ITA Northwest Regional.
 
Boniel had to dig deep to make the semifinal of the Bulldog Classic Saturday, after he lost the opening set to Rettke, 6-3. Boniel responded well to win the second set 6-2, and then pulled out a close third set, 6-4. Boniel also faced Rettke en route to his title at the Dar Walters Fall Classic, and that match also went past two sets with Boniel winning in a match tiebreaker.
 
Boniel will now face Gonzaga's Sam Feit in the semifinals of the "A" singles flight at 10:30 a.m. Sunday. If Boniel wins that match, then he'll advance to the championship match against either Idaho's Mark Kovacs or Gonzaga's Ruadhan O'Sullivan at 1 p.m.
 
Boniel beat O'Sullivan for the title at the Bulldog Classic last season, and also beat him in three sets in the semifinals of the Dar Walters Fall Classic earlier this month. Meanwhile, Boniel lost his match against Kovacs in Big Sky play last season, losing 6-3, 7-6.
 
Boniel was also active in the quarterfinals of the doubles draw Saturday, but he and doubles partner Sam Roberts lost in a tiebreaker, 8-7 (4), to Montana State's Rok Sitar and Alexander Flink.
 
Junior newcomer Avery West made the quarterfinals of the "B" singles flight with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Gonzaga's Bryan Husin early Saturday. West then took Montana State's Grant Wood to three sets in the quarterfinals later Saturday despite having played early in the day. Wood, who played two matches yesterday and so didn't have to play earlier Saturday, came back after dropping the second set to West and won 6-2, 2-6, 6-1.
 
Sophomore Tommy Edwards was also active in the second round of the "A" singles flight, but lost in three sets to Portland's Tom Hann, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2.
 
Sophomore Majeed Bukhari advanced to the consolation semifinals of the "B" singles flight with a 7-6, 6-4 win over Idaho's Peter Shin Saturday. Bukhari will face Seattle's Alex Chan in the consolation semifinals at 11:30 a.m. If Bukhari wins that match, then he'll face either Portland's Goutham Sundaram or Eastern Washington's Martin Batts in the consolation final at 1 p.m.