EDWARDSVILLE – Top qualifying seed Oliver Okonkwo lost his opening match Monday, July 27, 2026, while second-seeded Jerry Roddick advanced to the final round of qualifying on the second day of the $30,000 Edwardsville Futures Tennis Tournament at the Edwardsville Tennis Center.
Play in Edwardsville on July 27, 2026, was interrupted by an excessive heat warning covering the St. Louis metropolitan area, with heat indices forecast between 110 and 115 degrees. The temperature reached 100 degrees early in the afternoon before a brief downpour cooled conditions later in the day.
Even with the delay, all but one second-round qualifying match was completed. The only match postponed was between third-seeded Manuel Lazaro-Juncadella and Andrew Kotzen, which was pushed to Tuesday morning. The start of play also was moved back to 8:30 a.m. Tuesday because of the heat.
In the top half of the qualifying draw, Rohan Belday upset Okonkwo 4-6, 6-2, 10-7. Hiroki Sakagawa defeated Shau Na Kang 6-1, 5-1 when Kang retired. Roddick beat Zachary Foster 6-4, 6-4 when Foster retired. Jon Gamble defeated Nicholas Shirley 6-4, 6-4; Malhar Patel beat Alexander Bermard 6-4, 1-6, 10-2; and Illja Palavestra eliminated Kostlantyn Zviahintsev 6-0, 6-1.
In the lower half, fourth-seeded Noah Johnston defeated Ethan Muza 6-1, 6-2. Jelani Saar beat Evan Burnett 2-6, 6-3, 10-8. Eric Crivei defeated Zac Hamill 6-2, 3-0 when Hamill retired. Lev Seidman beat Luca Lo Nardo 6-1, 6-2. Cooper Woestendick got past Shaan Patel 6-2, 7-6 (7-4). Maximus Dussault defeated Simon Caldwell 6-4, 6-4. Nikita Filin beat Arman Zamani 6-1, 6-2. James Weber defeated Sachin Kolachana 6-0, 6-1, and Jonah Braswell eliminated Tyler Bowers 6-2, 6-1.
In the evening on Monday, the second annual One-Point Tournament, presented by Mike’s Automotive, was held. Vignesh Gogineni defeated Sakagawa in the final. Gogineni earned $400 for the winner’s share, and Sakagawa received $100 as runner-up. The event included both players and fans.
SUNDAY, July 26, 2026, FUTURES PHOTOS:
