(Photo: Patricia Vicente/WCSN)
This past weekend the Arizona State men’s tennis team took their No. 20 Oracle/ITA Division I Men’s Collegiate Tennis ranking to Montgomery, Ala. for the 70th annual Blue Gray Tennis Classic. The Sun Devils maintained the No. 1 seed heading into the tournament out of eight total teams involved.
ASU took on Boise State University in round one of the tournament sweeping the Broncos 4-0. After taking the doubles point, victories by senior captain Michaël Geerts, freshman captain Benjamin Hannestad and sophomore Makey Rakotomalala led to ASU advancing to the next round.
In the latest Oracle/ITA Collegiate Tennis Division I National Singles Rankings as of Feb. 20, Hannestad ranks 56th and Geerts ranks 65th.
The Sun Devils were to face the winner of tournament No. 4 seed Auburn University and familiar opponent Fresno State University. The Bulldogs were able to upset the Tigers 4-3 to advance to the next round and face the Sun Devils.
In their first meeting of the year at the ASU Invitational back on Feb. 10 the Sun Devils defeated the Bulldogs handily by a score of 4-0. However, the match was played in a different format: with singles coming first before the doubles.
In the most recent matchup at the Blue Gray Tennis Classic, the Sun Devils claimed victory yet again, this time by a score of 4-2. The two teams had not played each other in doubles yet, so this match was their first look at the pairings. The Sun Devils clinched the doubles point after victories from Geerts/Thomas Wright 6-3 and Tim Ruehl/Hannestad 6-0.
Rakotomalala achieved his team-leading seventh victory in singles play on the season after defeating Fresno State’s Xander Veys 6-2, 6-4.
The University of Alabama paved their own way through the tournament with victories against Rice University 4-1 and University of Arizona 4-2. The tournament No. 2 seed–and nationally ranked No. 33–Crimson Tide was the Sun Devils’ last opponent before claiming the championship hardware.
The Crimson Tide put up a great fight, but in the end the Sun Devils were able to put the match away 4-3 after Geerts clinched in singles play.
After falling behind early, failing to clinch the doubles point, the Sun Devils were able to stake out four singles match wins to claim overall match victory.
Hannestad got the team on the right track claiming his third individual victory of the weekend to finish with a perfect record. Ruehl and freshman Andrea Bolla also claimed victories as well.
After Rakotomalala and freshman William Kirkman dropped their singles matches, it came down to Geerts to put the overall match away. It was a back-and-forth affair, but he was able to outlast his opponent Mazen Osama 2-6, 7-6, 6-4 and take the trophy back to Tempe.
After a slow start to the season, this win gives Geerts his sixth in a row. The loss was the first for the Crimson Tide in 2018.
The Sun Devils head back to Tempe to take on the Stanford Cardinal at Whiteman Tennis Center on March 8.
ASU 4 – Boise State 0
Doubles
1. Kyle Butters/Jack Heslin (Boise State) def. Michaël Geerts/Thomas Wright (ASU) – 6-1
2. Tim Ruehl/Benjamin Hannestad (ASU) def. Mattia Bedolo/Pedro Platzeck (Boise State) – 6-4
3. Makey Rakotomalala/Andrea Bolla (ASU) def. Wyatt DeMulling/Stefan Lalovic (Boise State) – 6-4*
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3*
*clinched doubles point
Singles
1. #65 Michaël Geerts (ASU) def. Jack Heslin (Boise State) – 6-1, 6-1
2. #56 Benjamin Hannestad (ASU) def. Matteo Tinelli (Boise State) – 6-3, 6-4^
3. Makey Rakotomalala (ASU) def. Mattia Bedolo (Boise State) – 6-3, 6-2
4. Tim Ruehl (ASU) vs. Wyatt DeMulling (Boise State) 6-2, 4-5 – susp.
5. Andrea Bolla (ASU) vs. Kyle Butters (Boise State) 7-5, 5-1 – susp.
6. Thomas Wright (ASU) vs. Maximmilien Blancaneaux (Boise State) 6-7, 0-0 – susp.
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2^
^clinched overall match
ASU 4 – Fresno State 2
Doubles
1. Michaël Geerts/Thomas Wright (ASU) def. Mantas Bugailiskis/Cem Erturk (Fresno State) – 6-3*
2. Tim Ruehl/Benjamin Hannestad (ASU) def. Zdenek Derkas/Youseff Hassan (Fresno State) – 6-0
3. Makey Rakotomalala/Andrea Bolla (ASU) vs. Xander Veys/Cagatay Soke (Fresno State) – 3-3 susp.
Order of Finish: 2, 1*, 3 susp.
*clinched doubles point
Singles
1. #65 Michaël Geerts (ASU) def. Mantas Bugailiskis (Fresno State) – 6-4, 6-2
2. #56 Benjamin Hannestad (ASU) def. Jeremy Moser (Fresno State) – 6-4, 7-6^
3. Makey Rakotomalala (ASU) def. Xander Veys (Fresno State) – 6-2, 6-4
4. Andrea Bolla (ASU) vs. Zdenek Derkas (Fresno State) – 0-6, 6-6 susp.
5. Cem Erturk (Fresno State) def. Thomas Wright (ASU) – 0-6, 4-6
6. Cagatay Soke (Fresno State) def. Pierre Louis Dodens (ASU) – 1-6, 4-6
Order of Finish: 5, 3, 6, 1, 2^
^clinched overall match
*CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND*
ASU 4 – Alabama 3
Doubles
1. Edson Ortiz/Mazen Osama (Bama) def. Michaël Geerts/Thomas Wright (ASU) – 6-7*
2. Tim Ruehl/Benjamin Hannestad (ASU) vs. Thibault Cancel/Alexey Nesterov (Bama) – 6-6 susp.
3. Patrick Kaukovalta/Zhe Zhou (Bama) def. Makey Rakotomalala/Andrea Bolla (ASU) – 3-6
Order of Finish: 3, 1*, 2 susp.
*clinched doubles point
Singles
1. #65 Michaël Geerts (ASU) def. Mazen Osama (Bama) – 2-6, 7-6, 6-4^
2. #56 Benjamin Hannestad (ASU) def. Thibault Cancel (Bama) – 6-1, 6-2
3. Patrick Kaukovalta (Bama) def. Makey Rakotomalala (ASU) – 2-6, 7-6, 2-6
4. Tim Ruehl (ASU) def. Edson Ortiz (Bama) – 6-2, 6-1
5. Andrea Bolla (ASU) def. Riccardo Roberto (Bama) – 6-2, 6-4
6. Alexey Nesterov (Bama) def. Will Kirkman (ASU) – 6-4, 4-6, 4-6
Order of Finish: 2, 4, 5, 6, 3, 1^
^clinched overall match
