Shorthanded Sun Devils pick up first Big 12 win over Utah

(Photo: Harrison Fuller/WCSN)

TEMPE — As pre-match player introductions blared through the speakers ahead of Arizona State’s men’s tennis match against Utah, two names were missing. Junior Bor Artnak and redshirt senior Mathis Bondaz; the Sun Devils’ top two players.

Artnak was in Las Vegas, competing professionally. Bondaz was on the sideline, gingerly walking the complex, cheering on his teammates while nursing an injury.

The shorthanded Sun Devils (14-7, 1-2 Big 12) still managed to pick up a hard-fought 4-2 win against the Utes (4-12, 0-3 Big 12) Thursday, earning their first conference win of the season.

“Just a gritty win,” head coach Matt Hill said. “Utah has lost a ton of close ones to a lot of good teams… we know they’re a good team. And then, we were without a few players… so you’re playing with full depth and it’s fun to see those guys get out there and compete as well as they did.”

Without Artnak leading the charge, the Sun Devils had to rely on a new number one. Sophomore Ofek Shimanov, who typically plays out of the fourth slot, stepped up into the top role.

“He had a great week,” Hill said. “Looked great on the court, really pushing himself hard. He’s doing double gym sessions.”

Unfortunately for Shimanov, his debut in the top slot was tainted by Utah’s Dante Teramo, who bested him in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.

But Teramo’s win was the only singles victory the Utes would get Thursday. His win was sandwiched between two Sun Devil singles wins.

Junior Jelani Sarr made quick work of his opponent in the third slot, being the first match to finish on the day. The Baltimore native defeated Utah’s Lorenzo Esquici, 6-2, 6-3.

Sophomore Milos Mikovic quickly followed suit, besting AJ Deem for a victory from the sixth position, 6-3, 6-2.

Mikovic was the only Sun Devil to win both his doubles and single match against Utah.

“Even though we lost the doubles point, I felt better about my game and came in more confident with the singles,” Mikovic said.

Mikovic credited a strong fan turnout and solid intra-team camaraderie with propelling him to both victories.

The strong Sun Devil turnout was also a big motivator to senior Roi Ginat.

Ahead of his match, Ginat added a vibrant splash of color to his otherwise all-black uniform. The bright pink socks flashing at his ankles only heightened the sharpness of his footwork. But the senior didn’t just dig the socks out of his closet for style points.

“We had a nice collaboration with one of the sororities,” Ginat said. “They told us they were going to come in a pink theme. So after a year and a half in the closet, I said maybe today is the day that I’m going to show (the socks) off.”

The sorority event made for a larger audience than usual at Whiteman Tennis Center. By the end of the night, everybody who showed up made their way to court five, where Ginat and his pink socks were the main attraction.

Ginat and senior Shu Matsuoka were the final two Sun Devils still dueling their Utah opponents. Whichever player could win first would secure a team victory for ASU.

Nearly mirroring each other down to the finish, both Ginat and Matsuoka’s matches went into a third, tiebreaking set.

Ginat dropped his second set. Momentum seemed to be shifting in favor of Utah’s Charles Frey. The two were neck-and-neck through the third set, at one point being knotted at four games apiece.

It was Frey’s serve in the ninth game, he seemed destined to take the lead.

Ginat had already played three grueling hours of tennis up to that point. His doubles match had gone into a long tiebreaker earlier that afternoon. Each step started looking more languid than the last.

But he wouldn’t go away.

With each serve, Ginat answered with a blistering return. Extended rallies – many kept alive by his knack for chasing down seemingly lost balls – forced Frey into overzealous swings. A few sailed long, and a string of overcorrections left a pair hanging short, gliding straight into the net.

Ginat had broken his opponent’s serve. From then on, Ginat only needed a couple points to go his way and he would coast the Sun Devils to victory.

Buoyed by teammates and fans alike, Ginat closed it out, sealing the victory for ASU. After the second set, that outcome felt unlikely – momentum had firmly swung to his opponent – but Ginat kept his focus on the next point, never the last.

“You just have to keep going, leave that behind,” Ginat said. “Leave the past in the past and just focus on the next point.”

The Sun Devils won’t have too much time to celebrate the victory, though. They drive to Tucson a day later for their next fixture, a Saturday bout with intrastate rival Arizona. Coach Hill said both Artnak and Bondaz will be ready for the Wildcats, giving the Sun Devils a chance at revenge against the team that swept them in February.