TYLER, TEXAS – Joaquin Bianchi and Gonzalo Fernandez Gil will hit the road for Rome, Georgia on Wednesday as they get set for the ITA Cup that will begin on Thursday.
 
"We are really looking forward to this tournament," head coach Chris Bizot said. "The field will be really strong and we are excited to compete for a national championship."
 
BACK-TO-BACK
 
It will be the second appearance for the senior duo and the second in a row as both Bianchi and Fernandez Gil each made it to the ITA Cup in singles and as a doubles pair in the fall of 2021.
 
The Patriots pair becomes the first back-to-back ITA Cup qualifier since Arthur Fagundes earned back-to-back qualification in the fall of 2016 and 2017 in singles.
 
THE ITA CUP
 
The ITA Cup dates all the way back to 1986 and is the only singles and doubles national championship event for Division II, and NAIA and will feature Division III and Junior College teams as well. More than 8,000 competitors participate in 60 regional tournaments to make up the field for the ITA Cup.
 
Each draw for each level of competition will feature 16 singles competitors and 16 doubles teams. Eight of those have come via automatic qualification from the eight regional tournaments, four have come from regional finalists, and four have come from regional quarterfinalists.
 
THE 2021 COMPETITION
 
As mentioned previously, Bianchi and Fernandez Gil each made the ITA Cup in singles and as a doubles pair in 2021. As a doubles pair, the duo went up against the number one seeded team from Columbus State and went down by scores of 7-5, 6-2. That kicked them down to the consolation bracket, and the pair caught fire, taking down their first opponent in straight sets by scores of 6-3, 6-4, and then beating their next opponent in a three set tiebreaker by scores of 7-6, 3-6, 10-5 to earn a spot in the consolation bracket final. That match would go uncompleted, but it gave the Patriots valuable experience against national competition.
 
HOW WE GOT HERE
 
Over the course of the fall 2022 slate, the Patriots duo has seen some tough competition throughout the previous three tournaments. At the Tyler Invite, the pair went 2-1 with victories over the TJC pair of Dalisay and Riedel, and also took down one of the best teams in the South Central Region in Almeida and Cardona of Cameron.
 
At the Trinity Invite, the pair made their way to a second place finish after victories over the Trinity pair of Aashish Dhanani and Hao Nguyen and then the number one seeded Joao Sasso and Andoni Garmendia of Incarnate Word.
 
At the South Central Regional Tournament, the pair rolled in as the number two overall seed, and went to work. With 32 doubles teams there, the duo would need five victories to secure their spot in the ITA Cup. The pair made quick work of their first two opponents, winning 8-6 and 8-2 to move into the quarterfinals. There they met sixth overall seed Paul Schweiger and Hector Flores of UT Permian Basin. It took an extra game, but the Patriots secured a 9-7 win.
 
In the semifinals, the pair took on another UT Permian Basin duo in Takumi Katsuda and Jonas Krahofer. That duo had already taken down the number three seed and the number eight seed in a quest of their own for the regionals title. However, the Patriots pair was too much, and they rolled in straight sets 7-6, 6-4.
 
For the finals, it was the number one seeded Tomas Almeida and Thomas Cardona of Cameron, who Bianchi and Fernandez Gil had already taken down at the Tyler Invite. It was a tight contest that saw the two teams split the first two sets, but UT Tyler would prevail 10-8 in the tiebreaking third set to earn the automatic qualifying spot.
 
THE SCHEDULE AND DRAW
 
For Bianchi and Fernandez Gil, they will get their tournament started at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday afternoon. They will face off against Pietro Martinetti and Tommaso Schold of Columbus State. That pair is coming off of a Southeast Regional victory after taking down teammates Javier Cueto Ramos and Santiago Perez in the finals.
 
The winner of that contest will get the winners of Moritz Borges / Roni Rikkonen of Queens College and Jowan Rawson / Lennert Stevens of Charleston in the quarterfinal round. The loser of that opening round contest will be bounced back to the consolation bracket.