BEAUMONT, Texas – Lamar University men's tennis took a huge step toward strengthening its future with the announcement of four additions released head coach Scott Shankles Monday afternoon. Maxwell Lindstedt (Sweden), Vicente Monge (Peru), Axel Bergh (Sweden) and Rintaro Shukuda (Japan) have announced their intentions to play tennis for, and continue their education, at Lamar.
 
Lindstedt comes to Beaumont after spending his rookie season at Nicholls, while the other three will be true freshmen during the 2026 season.
 
"Heading into recruiting our primary focus was finding players with proven singles results, who were also strong on the doubles courts," said Shankles. "All of four of these players fit that mold.
 
"Additionally, all four are high character guys who are really good students, and we will be able to continue the trend of players who also perform well in the classroom. The skills they bring on the court combined with their academic traits set them up to be very strong additions to this program. They will complement the returners we already have on the roster," added Shankles.
 
The lone transfer, Lindstedt comes to the Golden Triangle after spending his rookie season at Nicholls. A proven NCAA Division I player, Lindstedt played the No. 1 singles position for the Colonels this past season where he earned Southland Player of the Week honors in February. A native of Gothenburg, Sweden, Lindstedt won 16 matches during his rookie season and finished tied for second on the squad in singles victories.
 
"Maxwell will be a really good fit for this team," said Shankles. "He already has a familiarity with our team as he and Fabian (Anthin) are long-time friends. Maxwell is tall, lefthanded player who swings big. He is also strong in doubles play. The fact that he played line one at Nicholls shows that he can step in and do well here."
 
Monge is a former No. 1 doubles player in Peru, climbing as high as 305 in the ITF rankings in 2024. A winner of the 2025 First Category Championships in Lima, Monge was a finalist in four different international tournaments in Bolivia, Columbia, Peru and Ecuador which included ITF J200 La Paz title and a 2023 ITF J30 Trujillo championship. He added four more tournament finals appearances in 2023. In singles, he advanced to the semifinals five times, including two finals appearances and a 2024 singles title at the ITF J30 in his hometown of Lima.
 
"I got to see Vicente play during a showcase during December," said Shankles. "I came away impressed with his overall game. He brings with him a solid baseline game and has worked really hard at his transition to the net in both singles and doubles. He also brings with him a strong ITF junior ranking."
 
A native of Japan, Shakuda has climbed as high as No. 349 in the rankings following a year where he made the round of 16 at the Japan U16 national championships. He has won two doubles titles and posted a singles runner-up finish this season.
 
"Rintaro had a similar ITF ranking to Vincente," said Shankles. "Originally from Japan he trained the last three years at one of the top tennis academies in Adelaide, Australia. He received good coaching while in Japan and only added to that strengthening his game once he got to Australia. Rintaro is another player who is bringing with him a lot of ITF tournament experience to Beaumont."
 
Climbing as high as 1,073 in the ITF junior world rankings, Bergh has posted several high finishes at numerous Swedish national tournaments. He recorded second-place finishes in doubles at the J30 Sundsvall, J30 Kramfors and J60 Ventspils tournaments. He also posted a runner-up finish during the 2024 NPTK Swedish Indoor and Outdoor Series on the singles courts. He has been ranked as high at the top 55 players in Sweden.
 
"Axel is a great kid," said Shankles. "He is one of the players who was very eager to be here and really wants to be a Lamar Cardinal. The thing that stands out about Axel is his speed on the court. He is very fast and he is what I call an all-court player. He plays well on the baseline but can also attack the net."