ROCK HILL, SC – The NJIT men's tennis team competed at the 2026 Big South Individuals presented by Visit York County at the Rock Hill Tennis Center.
The first day featured the main draw matches for both doubles and singles followed by the quarterfinal and semifinal matches, along with consolation match-ups.
The Highlanders turned in a strong performance in singles play, highlighted by freshman Arijan Kaliterna's run to the championship match. Kaliterna opened with a three-set victory over Bryant's Ramon Mateos, 6-2, 2-6, 6-0, before defeating Presbyterian's Rafael Asadullin in the quarterfinals. He continued his run with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 victory over Presbyterian's Daksh Prasad in the semifinals before falling just short in the championship match against Longwood's Daniel Borisov, 6-1, 5-7, 7-5. Soma Fukuhara also made a deep run, earning straight-set victories over Presbyterian's Dario Navarro and Bryant's Manveer Boparai to reach the semifinals, where he fell to Borisov.
Yerassyl Bakhtiyar added another singles victory for NJIT, defeating UNC Asheville's Jip Mens in three sets, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, before his run ended in the quarterfinals against Borisov. In doubles action, Bakhtiyar and Riccardo Campagnola advanced to the semifinals with an 8-4 victory over Presbyterian's Daksh Prasad and Eduardo Valentin before falling to Longwood's Marc Ferrando and Rodrigo Guijarro, 8-6. The Highlanders also earned a doubles win in the main draw, while Fukuhara and Kaliterna competed in their opening match against Bryant's Daniel Baquero and Ramon Mateos.
"This year, we've had a very solid showing. We had the opportunity to see the competition and learn from the experience, which we can carry with us into next April's tournament. Arijan fell just short of the title, but I'm proud of the fight he showed until the very end. For a freshman to come within a few points of winning a championship says a lot about his potential. Soma also made a strong run to the semifinals, while Yerassyl lost a tough three-set match to the eventual tournament champion," said head coach Marco Matteucci. "Overall, our players have made deep runs in every tournament they've competed in this fall, and we've earned wins against some really strong opponents, so I'm happy with how the fall season has gone. Yerassyl has one more tournament ahead of him after qualifying for ITA Sectionals by reaching the quarterfinals at Regionals. We'll now head to the University of Virginia for Sectionals."
DOUBLES MAIN DRAW
Daniel Baquero & Ramon Mateos, BRY defeat (1) Soma Fukuhara & Arijan Kaliterna, NJIT – 8-3
Yerassyl Bakhtiyar & Riccardo Campagnola, NJIT defeat (7) Daksh Prasad & Eduardo Valentin, PC – 8-4
DOUBLES MAIN DRAW – SEMIFINALS
Marc Ferrando & Rodrigo Guijarro, LWU defeat (2) Yerassyl Bakhtiyar & Riccardo Campagnola, NJIT – 8-6
DOUBLES – CONSOLATION
Soma Fukuhara & Arijan Kaliterna, NJIT vs. (5) Daniel Borisov & Marko Mrdak, LWU – no result (both teams withdrawn)
SINGLES MAIN DRAW
Arijan Kaliterna, NJIT defeats (16) Ramon Mateos, Bryant – 6-2, 2-6, 6-0
Marc Ferrando, Longwood defeats (4) Riccardo Campagnola, NJIT – 7-6 (7-4), 6-3
Yerassyl Bakhtiyar, NJIT defeats (7) Jip Mens UNC Asheville – 7-5, 3-6, 6-3
Soma Fukuhara, NJIT defeats (14) Dario Navarro, Presbyterian – 6-3, 6-2
SINGLES MAIN DRAW - QUARTERFINALS
Arijan Kaliterna, NJIT defeats (9) Rafael Asadullin, Presbyterian – 6-3, 3-6, 6-4(1)
Daniel Borisov, Longwood defeats (10) Yerassyl Bakhtiyar, NJIT – 4-6, 6-1, 6-1
Soma Fukuhara, NJIT defeats (6) Manveer Boparai, Bryant – 6-3, 6-4
SINGLES MAIN DRAW - SEMIFINALS
Arijan Kaliterna, NJIT defeats (5) Daksh Prasad, Presbyterian – 7-5, 3-6, 6-4
Daniel Borisov, Longwood defeats (3) Soma Fukuhara, NJIT – 6-1, 6-2
SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP
Daniel Borisov, Longwood defeats (1) Arijan Kaliterna, NJIT – 6-1, 5-7, 7-5
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