Results

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. -- Former SBU tennis great Dante Cipulli lost in the quarterfinal round of the US Open National Playoffs, falling to fourth-seeded Chris Wettengel on Friday 7-6 (3), 6-3. The US Open National Playoffs - Men's Championship is the second stage in the first ever national qualifier for the US Open.

Cipulli advanced on Thursday by defeating Thibaut Charron 6-3, 6-1.

Sixteen competitors qualified for the Men's Championship by winning their respective sectional qualifying tournament in cities across the United States from April through June. The winner of the Men's Championship will earn a singles wild card entry to compete in the US Open Qualifying Tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, August 24-27, 2010. The 2010 US Open will be held August 30 through September 12.

Cipulli was a late entrant into the sectional qualifying tournament, signing up at his wife's urging. He won the Missouri Valley region in May, winning five matches including a come-from-behind finals win (6-7, 6-4, 6-2) over Dalibor Pavic in Springfield, Mo.

A native of Tucuman, Argentina, the 28-year-old Cipulli now lives in Kansas City, Mo., where he is an assistant tennis coach at Missouri-Kansas City. He played three seasons for the Bearcats under coach John Bryant from 2002-05 and was a two-time ITA All-American and two-time MIAA Most Valuable Player. As a senior, Cipulli won the ITA NCAA D-II Singles National Championship and the Small College Super Bowl Championship.

Cipulli graduated from SBU with a business administration/international business degree in 2005 and later earned an MBA degree from SBU in 2007.

Cipulli's Thursday opponent, Thibaut Charron, was the Mid-Atlantic sectional winner and a former collegiate player at Virginia Commonwealth, where he reached as high as 25th in the collegiate rankings. The US Open National Playoffs - Men's Championship is being held at the Atlanta Athletic Club, in conjunction with the Atlanta Tennis Championships, an ATP Olympus US Open Series event.