FARMINGTON -- The Poplar Bluff tennis team placed second in the Farmington Invitational behind only the host team Saturday.

Malay Bhatt and Anderson Gilberto picked up first place finishes for the Mules as Bhatt defeated Crystal City's Dustin Thode in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0, and added a 6-3, 6-4 win over Farmington's Justin Arnold.

"It was great to see Bhatt win his long-standing rivalry with Arnold," Mules coach Charles Harper said. "They enjoy playing each other and it's always a good match."

Gilberto won a pair of three-set matches, defeating John Lindereer of Crystal City 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 and Andrew Maurer of Farmington 1-6, 6-4, 6-3.

His second win included a rally against a tough opponent in Maurer.

"Gilberto staged an amazing comeback in his championship match with Maurer," Harper said. "He found a way to win against a more experienced player."

Chris Drury finished second in the No. 3 spot, defeating Dexter's Michael Irvin 6-1, 6-1 and losing to Farmington's Eric Fuemmeler 6-1, 6-2.

Kelsey Brown fell to Dexter's Dusty Potter 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 before rebounding to pick up a win over Crystal City's Jacob Duncan in the consolation bracket to finish third.

Kyle West and Davis Wilson also finished third. West lost his opening match to Farmington's Ross Ledbetter 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 before beating Dexter's Tyler Batchelor in straight sets 6-4, 6-2.

Wilson lost to Crystal City's Aaron Shafer 4-6, 3-6 before defeating Dexter's Patrick Turpin 6-3, 6-0.

With every player finishing at least third, Harper had a lot to be proud of.

"I was very pleased with the outcome," he said. "Everyone finished first, second or third with 2-0 or 1-1 records."