WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – In just a few short days, senior Michaël Geerts looks to take North Carolina by storm as he heads to the NCAA Men's Tennis Singles championships, hosted by Wake Forest University.
"We're really excited for this week coming up," coach Matt Hill said. "Michaël has been playing really good tennis in the back half of the season and we're excited to continue that. There are good players here, but he's beaten the best already and we look forward to doing it again this week."
Heading into championship play, Geerts holds a 14-7 record this fall, a team-best. The Belgian notched all 14 of his victories in his last 18 matchups to go 14-4 in his previous 18 games. In that streak, Geerts notched win streaks of five matches or more twice: one lasting from Feb. 9-24 for a six-game streak and the other from March 14-24 for five-straight victories.
"We know that once he gets off the ground, he's as good if not better than pretty much anybody in college tennis," Hill said. "We know if we can continue to improve that space, it'll not only allow him to be successful all year in college, but also successful out there on the tour."
Geerts has been the Sun Devils' ace all season long, anchoring court one in every matchup. He was ranked the No. 20 college tennis player in the country for three-straight weeks from April 24 – May 3. His position makes him the highest-ranked Sun Devil since No. 1 Sargis Sargisian in 1995, when the Sun Devil won ASU's only championship.
The Belgian stepped up to the plate as ASU's court one, taking down the top-two ranked players in the country in No. 1 Martin Redlicki and No. 2 Mikael Torpegaard. He is one of just three players in the country to take down the top-2 ranked players.
"He's been incredibly successful against the best players in college and it gives him a sense of normalizing their skill level," Hill said. "It tells him that he's not far off from them."
He last took the court in the Sun Devils' matchup against Baylor, although he went unfinished against Baylor's No. 63 Johannes Schretter. The matchup was abandoned at 7-5, 2-1 in favor of Schretter when the Bears clinched the match, 4-0.
"He was playing really well and he had a lot of opportunities in that first set that just didn't go his way," Hill said. "He had a couple of unlucky breaks here and there, and it made the score look a lot different on paper than what you were really seeing out there on the court."
Geerts represents the first Sun Devil to earn a spot in the Singles Championships since before 2004.
"The reality is that what he's been able to accomplish in his first year of college tennis is remarkable, it's really unheard of," Hill said. "I've been around some really great players and less than a handful were as impactful in their first year for their team as he has been."
The 2018 NCAA Men's Tennis Singles championships kicks off this Wednesday, May 23 on the campus of Wake Forest University in North Carolina. Fans can keep up with the action on the tournament central page here, or by following @SunDevilMTennis on Twitter.
"We're really excited for this week coming up," coach Matt Hill said. "Michaël has been playing really good tennis in the back half of the season and we're excited to continue that. There are good players here, but he's beaten the best already and we look forward to doing it again this week."
Heading into championship play, Geerts holds a 14-7 record this fall, a team-best. The Belgian notched all 14 of his victories in his last 18 matchups to go 14-4 in his previous 18 games. In that streak, Geerts notched win streaks of five matches or more twice: one lasting from Feb. 9-24 for a six-game streak and the other from March 14-24 for five-straight victories.
"We know that once he gets off the ground, he's as good if not better than pretty much anybody in college tennis," Hill said. "We know if we can continue to improve that space, it'll not only allow him to be successful all year in college, but also successful out there on the tour."
Geerts has been the Sun Devils' ace all season long, anchoring court one in every matchup. He was ranked the No. 20 college tennis player in the country for three-straight weeks from April 24 – May 3. His position makes him the highest-ranked Sun Devil since No. 1 Sargis Sargisian in 1995, when the Sun Devil won ASU's only championship.
The Belgian stepped up to the plate as ASU's court one, taking down the top-two ranked players in the country in No. 1 Martin Redlicki and No. 2 Mikael Torpegaard. He is one of just three players in the country to take down the top-2 ranked players.
"He's been incredibly successful against the best players in college and it gives him a sense of normalizing their skill level," Hill said. "It tells him that he's not far off from them."
He last took the court in the Sun Devils' matchup against Baylor, although he went unfinished against Baylor's No. 63 Johannes Schretter. The matchup was abandoned at 7-5, 2-1 in favor of Schretter when the Bears clinched the match, 4-0.
"He was playing really well and he had a lot of opportunities in that first set that just didn't go his way," Hill said. "He had a couple of unlucky breaks here and there, and it made the score look a lot different on paper than what you were really seeing out there on the court."
Geerts represents the first Sun Devil to earn a spot in the Singles Championships since before 2004.
"The reality is that what he's been able to accomplish in his first year of college tennis is remarkable, it's really unheard of," Hill said. "I've been around some really great players and less than a handful were as impactful in their first year for their team as he has been."
The 2018 NCAA Men's Tennis Singles championships kicks off this Wednesday, May 23 on the campus of Wake Forest University in North Carolina. Fans can keep up with the action on the tournament central page here, or by following @SunDevilMTennis on Twitter.