TEMPE, Ariz. – In their final home matchup of the season, Sun Devil men's tennis looks to secure a crucial Territorial Cup Series point this Saturday as they take on the University of Arizona at the Whiteman Tennis Center.
"The rivalry is going to bring out our best," coach Matt Hill said. "For us it's two-fold: not getting too emotional, and allowing our tennis to speak for ourselves because we have some really great players in this group."
The Wildcats fared the same opponents as the Sun Devils last weekend, with both No. 2 UCLA and No. 16 USC making the trip down south. Arizona lost both matches 4-0, bringing their record to 15-13 and 0-7 in conference play, winless against conference foes since the 2014 season.
ASU comes into the weekend with five wins in their last nine matches dating back to the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Powering the Sun Devils' streak is the lone senior Michaël Geerts on court one. The Belgian notched a huge upset victory over No. 1 Martin Redlicki last Friday to notch wins over the top two players in the country. He is now 7-3 in his last 10 matches.
Geerts has been playing at a surreal caliber all-season long, holding a 13-6 record on court one and a team-leading five wins against ranked opponents. The effort didn't go unnoticed by Oracle/ITA, who awarded Geerts a No. 20 ranking to make him the highest-ranked Sun Devil since No. 1 Sargis Sargsian in 1995.
"He brings a ton of experience and maturity because he's an incredible player," Hill said. "The guys can really look to him and see what he does well and try to copy that. He brings a ton to the team that you can't really expect a younger player to do."
The tandem of Andrea Bolla and Makey Rakotomalala have been a force to be reckoned with in doubles play, notching a season-high No. 45 ranking as a pair. The squad teamed up to take down No. 11 Jack Jaede/Laurens Verboven of UCLA to put ASU in prime position to clinch the doubles point.
ASU has played strong doubles all season long, securing all but two doubles points in conference play. Although it took some mixing and matching of chemistry in the beginning, as all three doubles tandems from opening weekend are no longer together, coach Hill is proud of the early advantages his squad is grabbing.
"It gives us a lot of confidence moving into this weekend against Arizona," Hill said. "They have a really gritty team, so it's going to be a challenge."
First serve for Saturday's matchup is set for 1 p.m. The match is also USTA Southwest Family Day and ASU Student Group Day, and fans can enjoy free food and games before the match. Be aware that Pat's Run may cause road closures and traffic near the tennis center.
"The rivalry is going to bring out our best," coach Matt Hill said. "For us it's two-fold: not getting too emotional, and allowing our tennis to speak for ourselves because we have some really great players in this group."
The Wildcats fared the same opponents as the Sun Devils last weekend, with both No. 2 UCLA and No. 16 USC making the trip down south. Arizona lost both matches 4-0, bringing their record to 15-13 and 0-7 in conference play, winless against conference foes since the 2014 season.
ASU comes into the weekend with five wins in their last nine matches dating back to the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Powering the Sun Devils' streak is the lone senior Michaël Geerts on court one. The Belgian notched a huge upset victory over No. 1 Martin Redlicki last Friday to notch wins over the top two players in the country. He is now 7-3 in his last 10 matches.
Geerts has been playing at a surreal caliber all-season long, holding a 13-6 record on court one and a team-leading five wins against ranked opponents. The effort didn't go unnoticed by Oracle/ITA, who awarded Geerts a No. 20 ranking to make him the highest-ranked Sun Devil since No. 1 Sargis Sargsian in 1995.
"He brings a ton of experience and maturity because he's an incredible player," Hill said. "The guys can really look to him and see what he does well and try to copy that. He brings a ton to the team that you can't really expect a younger player to do."
The tandem of Andrea Bolla and Makey Rakotomalala have been a force to be reckoned with in doubles play, notching a season-high No. 45 ranking as a pair. The squad teamed up to take down No. 11 Jack Jaede/Laurens Verboven of UCLA to put ASU in prime position to clinch the doubles point.
ASU has played strong doubles all season long, securing all but two doubles points in conference play. Although it took some mixing and matching of chemistry in the beginning, as all three doubles tandems from opening weekend are no longer together, coach Hill is proud of the early advantages his squad is grabbing.
"It gives us a lot of confidence moving into this weekend against Arizona," Hill said. "They have a really gritty team, so it's going to be a challenge."
First serve for Saturday's matchup is set for 1 p.m. The match is also USTA Southwest Family Day and ASU Student Group Day, and fans can enjoy free food and games before the match. Be aware that Pat's Run may cause road closures and traffic near the tennis center.