(Photo: Mason Kern/WCSN)
After a tightly contested loss to another Oracle/ITA Top-5 opponent in No. 4 Ohio State this past Thursday, the No. 26 Arizona State men’s tennis team took the positives from that match to the 2018 BNP Paribas Collegiate Tennis Challenge at Indian Wells Tennis Garden last weekend.
The Sun Devils were tapped as the No. 1 seed–the second time this season they have been the top seed in tournament play. At the 70th annual Blue Gray Tennis Classic, ASU was ranked No. 1 as well.
In their first match, the Sun Devils took on Southern Methodist University, downing the Mustangs 4-2. ASU conceded the doubles point but was able to rally off four singles victories from senior captain and national No. 61 singles player Michaël Geerts, as well as freshmen Thomas Wright, Tim Ruehl and Andrea Bolla.
The victory would not come easy as the match was tied at 2-2 after sophomore Makey Rakotomalala dropped his match 3-6, 4-6.
However, Ruehl was able to clinch the victory for ASU defeating his opponent 7-5, 6-1.
In the quarterfinals, the Sun Devils were pitted up against the University of Tulsa. The Golden Hurricanes were dominated throughout the entire match. ASU won the doubles point, and another victory from Wright, Geerts and Bolla clinched the overall match.
The storyline against Tulsa was similar to that of Southern Methodist, as the same players won and lost in both matches–the only caveat was the doubles point victory for the Sun Devils against Tulsa.
Rakotomalala conceded the only point of the match for ASU falling 4-6, 3-6.
Having advanced to the championship round of the tournament, the Sun Devils faced a team that they had already faced earlier in the season–but could not finish due to a rain suspension–in the No. 39 California Golden Bears. Cal has been regarded as a perennially solid program, and the match was intense the full way through.
The Sun Devils dropped the doubles point despite a commanding 6-1 victory by the duo of Rakotomalala/Bolla. The tandem of Geerts/Ruehl had defeated their opponents of No. 32 Billy Griffith/J.T. Nishimura earlier this month in doubles play, but could not repeat as they lost the final set 7-3 after being tied at 5-5.
Climbing back from a 1-0 deficit, Rakotomalala ended his match quickly, dominating his opponent in singles play 6-1, 6-3 to tie the overall score at one a piece. Their momentum was squandered however when an injury to Wright forced him to forfeit his match giving Cal the 2-1 advantage.
Geerts claimed his fourth straight victory–and his third against a ranked opponent this season–against No. 52 Billy Griffith. Bolla achieved his third victory of the tournament, going undefeated at 3-0, giving the Sun Devils a 3-2 lead. However, both freshman William Kirkman and Ruehl were outlasted, and Cal took the overall victory 4-3.
The Sun Devils will return home to Whiteman Tennis Center in Tempe this weekend to take on a nonconference opponent against New Mexico.
ASU 4 – Southern Methodist 2
Doubles
1. Jan-Simon Vrbsky/Tomas Vaise (SMU) def. Tim Ruehl/Michaël Geerts (ASU) – 6-3
2. Makey Rakotomalala/Andrea Bolla (ASU) def. Eladio Fabregas/Gardiner Perotti (SMU) – 6-1
3. Charles Nettlefold /Roberto Rosales (SMU) def. Pierre Louis-Dodens/Thomas Wright (ASU) – 6-4
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1*
*clinched doubles point
Singles
1. #61 Michaël Geerts (ASU) def. Jan-Simon Vrbsky (SMU) – 6-1, 6-4
2. Tomas Vaise (SMU) def. #116 Makey Rakotomalala (ASU) – 6-3, 6-4
3. Tim Ruehl (ASU) def. Charles Nettlefold (SMU) – 7-5, 6-1
4. Andrea Bolla (ASU) def. Michael Smith (SMU) – 6-2, 6-3
5. Thomas Wright (ASU) def. Roberto Rosales (SMU) – 6-0, 7-6(5)
6. Pierre Louis-Dodens (ASU) vs. Eladio Fabregas (SMU) – 4-6, 6-4, 2-0 | susp.
Order of Finish: 4, 1, 2, 5, 3^
^clinched overall match
ASU 4 – Tulsa 1
Doubles
1. Tim Ruehl/Michaël Geerts (ASU) def. Majed Kilani/Lucca Baptista (Tulsa) – 6-3
2. Makey Rakotomalala/Andrea Bolla (ASU) vs. Louis Corker/Mitchell Pritchard (Tulsa) – 4-5 | susp.
3. William Kirkman/Thomas Wright (ASU) def. Boriss Kamdem/Joshua Goodger (Tulsa) – 6-4
Order of Finish: 3, 1*
*clinched doubles point
Singles
1. #61 Michaël Geerts (ASU) def. #118 Majed Kilani (Tulsa) – 6-4, 6-3
2. #71 Joshua Goodger (Tulsa) def. #116 Makey Rakotomalala (ASU) – 6-4, 6-3
3. Tim Ruehl (ASU) vs. Lucca Baptista (Tulsa) – 7-5, 2-2 | susp.
4. Andrea Bolla (ASU) def. Mitchell Pritchard (Tulsa) – 6-2, 6-4
5. Thomas Wright (ASU) def. Louis Corker (Tulsa) – 6-1, 6-3
6. Pierre Louis-Dodens (ASU) vs. Boriss Kamdem (Tulsa) – 6-4, 5-2 | susp.
Order of Finish: 5, 2, 1, 4^
^clinched overall match
*CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND*
Cal 4 – ASU 3
Doubles
1. #32 Billy Griffith/J.T. Nishimura (Cal) def. Tim Ruehl/Michaël Geerts (ASU) – 7-6(3)
2. Makey Rakotomalala/Andrea Bolla (ASU) def. Ben Draper/Jack Molloy (Cal) – 6-1
3. Dominic Barretto/Can Kaya (Cal) def. William Kirkman /Thomas Wright (ASU) – 6-1
Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1*
*clinched doubles point
Singles
1. #61 Michaël Geerts (ASU) def. #52 Billy Griffith (Cal) – 6-4, 6-4
2. #116 Makey Rakotomalala (ASU) def. J.T. Nishimura – 6-1, 6-3
3. Jack Molloy (Cal) def. Tim Ruehl (ASU) – 6-4, 6-4
4. Andrea Bolla (ASU) def. Paul Barretto (Cal) – 6-3, 6-4
5. Ben Draper (Cal) def. William Kirkman (ASU) – 6-3, 4-6, 6-0
6. Jacob Brumm (Cal) def. Thomas Wright (ASU) – 6-3, 3-3 | ret. (inj.)
Order of Finish: 2, 6, 1, 4, 5, 3^
^clinched overall match
