COLUMBUS - The top-ranked and top-seeded Columbus State University men's tennis team cruised into the Peach Belt Conference Tournament Championship following its 4-0 semifinal win over fourth-seeded Flagler College on Monday. The match was played at the John W. Walden Tennis Center in Columbus.

The Cougars will be making their fourth straight appearance in the PBC title match and the program's seventh overall. CSU has won the past three tournaments and also won the 2014 championship after rain forced the cancellation of the final match. 

Columbus State will host the championship match this weekend against second-seeded and sixth-ranked Lander University. The Bearcats defeated the third seed and 11th-ranked University of North Georgia 4-2 to earn their spot in the finals. The match is tentatively scheduled for Friday but could be shifted depending on the outcome of the PBC women's tournament, which begins on Wednesday. 

Like they have done all year, the Cougars gained the early advantage by taking the doubles point. Only two matches needed to be completed as Columbus State (18-0) won both to clinch the first point of the afternoon. The second-ranked duo of Alvaro Regalado and Javier Cueto Ramos were winners on Monday following a 6-1 decision over Rasmus Jonsson and William Jonsson. Second doubles was the other to wrap up with Felix Steen and Christian Garay defeating Diego Amilibia and Philipp Lemken 6-3. In the unfinished match, Tommaso Schold and Pietro Martinetti were leading Nikita Tatyanin and Cedric Holzmann 5-4.

It was a race to the finish in singles play as the Cougars needed just three wins to secure the match. Twenty-eighth-ranked Schold was the most impressive Cougar in singles action, blowing through Lemken 6-1, 6-1 in the third position. Justin Welz also picked up a victory at sixth singles for the Cougars. The freshman defeated W. Jonsson in a 6-3, 6-2 straight-set decision. In a top-25 showdown at first singles, second-ranked Regalado won his 11th match in a row after downing 23rd-ranked Tatyanin 7-5, 6-2. 

CSU was leading the remaining three matches when play was called. At second singles, 14th-ranked Garay was ahead of R. Jonsson 6-5, 5-3, while Cueto Ramos was two games away from a win over Holzmann in the fourth spot. Martinetti was also nearly a winner before play was suspended as the second-year freshman led fifth singles 6-1, 4-3 over Amilibia.

The win was the 27th in a row for Columbus State.