ASU Men’s Tennis takes down BYU in Clutch Finisher

(Photo: Sun Devil Athletics)

TEMPE — No. 35 Arizona State men’s tennis team continued its red-hot form on Thursday night, defeating No. 61 BYU 4-2 under the lights at the Whiteman Tennis Center. With the win, the Sun Devils improved to 12-8 overall and 3-3 in Big 12 play, staying firmly in contention as the conference tournament looms ahead.

Faced with chilly conditions and a determined BYU squad, ASU set the tone early by capturing the doubles point. The top court featured a marquee matchup with the No. 59 ranked doubles pair of Bor Artnak and Daniel Phillips taking on BYU’s No. 38 ranked duo of Zach Fuchs and Wally Thayne.

The Sun Devils held their nerve in key moments to secure a tight victory, improving to 3-0 as a pair and setting the tone for the following doubles matches.

“Getting that win against their top guys was a big confidence boost, not just for me and Bor but for the rest of our teammates,” Phillips said. “They were very aggressive at the net, hustling hard for every point, and put some pressure on us, so we made some adjustments and came out with a win.”

On court two, Nicola Cigna and Roi Ginat extended the momentum with a composed win, moving to 2-3 together. They proved to be too much, defeating BYU with their methods of aggressive play at the net against them. The third doubles match went unfinished.

With the early lead, ASU continued its dominance in singles play. Artnak, ranked No. 39 in the country and playing at the top position, increased his singles winning streak to four games with a 2-1 win.

The sophomore was in control throughout, mixing up lobs and passes to frustrate his opponent, who often crowded the net.

“Mixing it up was what I needed to get that win,” said Artnak. “I realized that he was crowding the net and making it hard for me to play my game from the baseline, so I threw in some lobs, and it backed him up enough for me to either get into a rhythm, or I’d get the point.”

BYU, now 12-7 overall and 1-5 in conference, didn’t go down quietly. The Cougars earned some singles points back to make the contest 3-2 with wins on courts five and two, putting ASU into a tight spot with the final two singles matches still in progress.

With the pressure on the Sun Devils to deliver as the lights of Whiteman Tennis Center shined the brightest, freshman Tanner Povey came up with the clutch 2-1 win, sealing the victory for the Sun Devils.

“BYU came in with a lot of energy, and we knew we had to match that,” ASU head coach Matt Hill said. “This was a complete team performance. Even if their ranking suggests otherwise, we played up to the competition. Guys who have been waiting for their moment to shine stepped up and that’s what.”

The victory keeps ASU in the hunt for a top spot in the Big 12 as the conference tournament approaches fast.

The Sun Devils will wrap up their regular season with an early morning game against UCF on the road on April 6, before a rivalry showdown against in-state foe Arizona at home, scheduled for Saturday, April 12 at noon MST.

Heading into their last two games of the season, ASU looks toward the future as the Big 12 Tournament, which runs April 16-20 in Waco, Texas, draws near.

“We’re feeling good, but we know we can’t let up,” Hill said. “Every match matters now. It’s about peaking at the right time, trusting our stuff and what we learned, and fighting to prove that we can go deep in this tournament.”