ASU Men’s Tennis: Sun Devils show brief signs of life, yet cannot overcome No. 7 Aggies

(Photo: Patricia Vicente/WCSN)

Despite a positive start to the match, Arizona State was blown out 6-1 by the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies on Sunday afternoon at the Whiteman Tennis Center.

A day after falling to the Duke Blue Devils 5-2, the Sun Devils started off the match playing with energy and enthusiasm that helped put them in prime position to steal the doubles point against the top-10 ranked team.

“Every point against a team like this is tough to get so I mean you take any win you can get,” ASU head coach Matt Hill said. “There’s obviously a little bit of a momentum swing, you go into the locker room with a different feel about it.”

After ASU’s team of Benjamin Hannestad and Tim Ruehl were defeated by the Aggies pair of Juan Carlos Aguilar and Jordi Arconada 6-4, both Sun Devil teams on courts one and three were up a break. The duo of Michael Geerts and Makey Rakotomalala were serving for the set up 5-4 while the pairing of Andrea Bolla and Thomas Wright held a break and the advantage serving at 4-3.

If both doubles teams could hold on and serve out the two sets, ASU would grab momentum and an important first point of the match.

That didn’t happen, as neither team could hold when it mattered most, and Texas A&M clinched the doubles point when Patrick Kypson and Barnaby Smith won three consecutive games over Bolla and Wright taking the set 6-4.

Geerts and Rakotomalala’s match was suspended after the Aggies clinched the doubles point, and even though the Sun Devils number one doubles team didn’t lose its match, Rakotomalala felt the team let a golden chance fall through its hands.

“I mean we had a break at 5-4 and I was serving for the set and an opportunity like that, you have to take advantage of,” Rakotomalala said following the loss. “We were close today to win the doubles point and it’s very crucial to do it.”

With the doubles point in hand, Texas A&M never looked back.

The Aggies made quick work to clinch the overall match in singles play as Arthur Rinderknech, Valentin Vacherot and Juan Carlos Aguilar all won decisively in straight sets.

Shortly after Aguilar clinched the match for the SEC team, Texas A&M’s Barnaby Smith defeated William Kirkman comfortably 6-4, 6-2.

Geerts played number one singles again on Sunday and fell to Texas A&M’s Patrick Kypson, a 2017 US Open wildcard currently ranked 707 in the ATP World Tour 6-4, 6-4. Rakotomalala pulled out the final match of the day in a third-set tiebreak over Jordi Arconada 7-6(3), 6-2, 7-6(5).

ASU resumes practice on Tuesday and Hill said changes must be made before 2017 Big-12 Champion and current No. 10 TCU travels to Tempe for a dual-match on Jan. 21.

“I mean the games are close, the sets are close, and they swing in just a handful of points,” Hill said. “A lot of times when you really look at the film, it’s the choices we’re making to serve here or put the ball here that don’t make sense for what they need to be doing against that particularly player or in that particular time. They just have to clean up those decisions to increase the mathematical advantage on their end.”

Doubles

Arthur Rinderknech/AJ Catanzariti (Texas A&M) vs. Michael Geerts/Makey Rakotomalala (ASU) – 6-5 (susp.)
Juan Carlos Aguilar/Jordi Arconada (Texas A&M) def. Benjamin Hannestad/Tim Ruehl (ASU) – 6-4
Patrick Kypson/Baraby Smith (Texas A&M) def. Bolla/Wright (ASU) – 6-4

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

*clinched the doubles point

Singles