Sept. 23, 2012

DES MOINES, IOWA – Northern Illinois men’s tennis players Axel Lagerlof, Simon Formont and Jovan Zeljkovic won their respective flights on the final day of the Drake Invitational. The Huskies won three singles flights and one doubles flight at the tournament, improving last week’s three flight wins at the River Forest Collegiate Invitational.

“We played a lot better this weekend, not because we we won, but because we played smarter and we got back into our rhythm,” said Head Coach Patrick Fisher. “We improved this week after our first tournament a week ago and we’re a lot better this year than we were a year ago. We finished 22-6 overall as a team in singles and doubles and it was a good weekend to be a Huskie.”

Lagerlof, a native of Malmo, Sweden, faced off with Northern Colorado’s Jordan Loughnan and won the first set, 6-4. Loughnan was not going down without a fight in the second set, however, the reigning second team All-Mid American Conference selection defeated the UNC player, 7-5.

In the D flight Formont, a native of Orleans, France, dominated from start to finish to win his second-consecutive flight at a fall tournament. Formont defeated Creighton’s Quinn Dippel, 6-2, 6-1. Formont is currently 6-0 in singles this fall.

Finally in flight E, Zeljkovic took on Drake’s Ryan Drake for the flight championship. The Banja Luka, Bosnia native battled with the Bulldog in the first set, 6-3, and made short work of the host in the second set with a 6-0 triumph.

The Huskies will return to action Oct. 18 at the ITA Midwest Regional, hosted by Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich.