The Seattle University men’s tennis team began their 2012-13 season Friday with two fresh faces leading the way at the EWU Fall Invite in Cheney, Wash.

Freshmen Will Topp (Olympia, Wash.) and Gus Orlando (Sacramento, Calif.) both won their first collegiate matches Friday, advancing to the quarterfinals of their respective flights. Topp notched two victories in the top-ranked red flight, taking down Tomas Aranguiz of host Eastern Washington in three sets, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, then advancing past Gonzaga’s Vladimir Mijatovic. Topp was ahead of Mijatovic 6-0, 3-0 when Mijatovic retired due to injury and will face Gonzaga’s Levin Guillermo in the flight’s quarterfinal.

Orlando also earned a spot in the quarterfinals, advancing to the white flight’s round of eight after a win over Eastern Washington’s Cody Smith. Earning a first-round bye, Orlando easily dispatched Smith in two sets, winning 6-1, 6-0. He will face the flight’s No. 2 seed Joey Brandt of Gonzaga in his quarterfinal matchup.

Kevin Lynch (Colorado Springs, Colo.) also was in the red flight with Topp but fell in three sets during his first-round matchup with Ethan Vaughn of Montana, 3-6, 6-2, 6-0. Lynch will next play in the quarterfinal round of the red flight’s consolation bracket, where he’ll square off against Montana’s Semion Branzburg.

Joining Lynch in the red flight consolation quarterfinals is freshman Zach Kosanke (Bellevue, Wash.). Kosanke won his first collegiate match in the first round of the Red Flight consolation match, defeating Lalo Martinez of Eastern Washington 6-4, 0-6, 1-0(8). Earlier in the day, he fell to Gonzaga’s Olivier Jamin in the main Red Flight bracket.

Flavio Malagutti (Rio Claro, Brazil) will also compete in the quarterfinals of the red flight consolation, having lost his main-bracket match in two sets, falling 6-3, 6-4 to Lukas Kortus of Portland State.  

Three other Seattle U players competed in the white flight as well. Jason Bediones (Kent, Wash.) won his first match in the flight, defeating Portland State’s Nate Chart 7-6, 6-2. Bediones moved on to face Idaho’s Filip Fichtel in the round of 16 and lost 6-4, 6-3.

Also winning in the white flight was Kyle Rapp (Encinitas, Calif.), who took down Dillon Triance of Portland State 6-0, 6-2 in the first round. Rapp then fell to Joey Brandt of Gonzaga 6-3, 6-4 in his afternoon contest in the round of 16.

Freshman Ian Clare (Sachse, Texas) also made his collegiate debut Friday, falling in two close sets to Eduardo Bringold 6-4, 7-5. He will face Portland State’s William Risenhoover in the second round of the flight’s consolation bracket.

SU fielded four doubles teams in the doubles draw Friday. A team of freshman comprised of Topp and Kosanke drew a first-round bye and will face Mosquera and Ismath of Gonzaga in the round of 16, while the other three Seattle U duos fell in their first-round matches. Lynch and Bediones resumed their partnership of last year, but fell to Portland State’s Marx and Mishra 8-6, while Clare and Malagutti teamed up during an 8-2 loss to PSU’s Kortus and Wheeler, and Rapp and Orlando fell 8-1 to Montana’s Facey and Branzburg.

The Redhawks will continue the EWU Fall Invite Saturday, September 22 in Cheney. Doubles matches will begin at 9:00 a.m., while the first singles matches start two hours later at 11:00 a.m.