ASU Men’s Tennis: Revenge achieved for No. 31 Sun Devils in victory over No. 45 Utah

(Photo: Patricia Vicente/WCSN)

No. 31 Arizona State kept its momentum rolling on Saturday, sweeping No. 45 Utah 4-0 at the Whiteman Tennis Center on its Senior Day.

Before the match, graduate student Justin Roberts was honored by the program in his last home match in Tempe. Despite only being with the program for one season, he has made his mark.

“He’s a special player and person,” ASU coach Matt Hill said. “The guys have a huge amount of respect for him on the tennis court which translates into respect off the tennis court as well.”

Roberts and his teammates wasted no time against the Utes on Saturday afternoon, winning the doubles point courtesy of stellar play from the No. 81 pairing of sophomores Tim Ruehl and Andrea Bolla, as well as the continued solid form of the No. 8 tandem of juniors Nathan Ponwith and Dominik Kellovsky.

ASU (13-10, 4-2 Pac-12) has had major success in doubles and Saturday’s win in that period was nothing new as they clinched the doubles point for the eighth consecutive match and for the 17^th time in 23 total tries.

While doubles play has been steady all season for the Sun Devils, their consistently improved play in singles has been the difference maker lately. Against Utah (16-10, 2-6), ASU got exceptional play from its bottom three singles courts as Ruehl, Bolla and junior Makey Rakotomalala all won their singles matches in straight sets on courts four, five and six.

After struggling with stages of inconsistency, injuries and developing a cohesive relationship during the early portion of its schedule, ASU has flipped the switch. It has won six straight matches while only conceding three total points to opponents in that timespan.

After going on the road to play multiple college tennis powerhouses early in the season, ASU has feasted on its recent home-heavy stretch.

“I remember at the beginning of the year questioning myself on how difficult the schedule was,” Hill said. “… We’re going to go to [Los Angeles] and play (No. 11) USC and (No. 13) UCLA, two of the best teams in the country … We are going to believe that we belong toe-to-toe with them and we are going to put our best foot forward.”

ASU’s resurgent victory in Tucson against then-No. 25 Arizona in the Territorial Cup Series has been a big turning point for the Sun Devils. Since that 4-2 victory, ASU has risen 16 spots in the rankings from No. 47 to its current standing.

ASU will look to continue its winning ways when it finishes out the Pac-12 slate next weekend, first on Friday against No. 13 UCLA and then on Sunday against No. 11 USC.

Match Results:

No. 31 ASU vs. No. 45 Utah (4-0 win)

Doubles

1. No. 8 Nathan Ponwith/Dominik Kellovsky (ASU) def. Azat Hankuliev/Dan Little (Utah) – 6-4^
2. No. 81 Tim Ruehl/Andrea Bolla (ASU) def. Joe Woolley/Russell Benkaim (Utah) – 6-1
3. Justin Roberts/Makey Rakotomalala (ASU) vs. Mathias Gavelin/Slava Shainyan (Utah) –4-5 (susp.)

Order of finish: 2, 1^, 3 (susp.)

^ Clinched doubles point

Singles

1. No. 62 Nathan Ponwith (ASU) vs. No. 42 Dan Little (Utah) – 3-6, 6-1, 1-2 (susp.)
2. Dominik Kellovsky (ASU) vs. Slava Shainyan (Utah) – 4-6, 7-6 (susp.)
3. Justin Roberts (ASU) vs. No. 85 David Micevski (Utah) – 6-7(4-7), 2-5 (susp.)
4. Andrea Bolla (ASU) def. Mathias Gavelin (Utah) – 7-5, 6-3
5. Tim Ruehl (ASU) def. Joe Woolley (Utah) – 6-1, 6-2
6. Makey Rakotomalala (ASU) def. Azat Hankuliyev (Utah) – 7-5, 6-2*

Order of finish: 5, 4, 6*, (1, 2, 3 susp.)

*Clinched victory

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