FLORENCE, S.C. – The No. 4-ranked and second-seeded Lander men's tennis team won its Peach Belt Conference tournament opener on Friday afternoon, earning a 5-1 victory over seventh-seeded Francis Marion in a quarterfinals match at the Dr. Eddie Floyd/Florence Tennis Center.

Lander (19-2) opened the match with a pair of doubles victories at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots before Francis Marion (7-11) salvaged a 9-7 win at No. 1. The Bearcats wasted no time in singles action as Axel Cronje opened with a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 3. Tommaso Rosin followed up with a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 4 and Omar El-Moslemany put the match away, notching a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 6 to give Lander the victory. 

The Bearcats advance to the semifinals, where they'll match up against No. 7 Flagler on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.