MONTGOMERY, Ala - The Sun Devil men's tennis team extended its win streak to eight games Saturday at the Blue Gray Tennis Classic, as the Sun Devils won three-straight matches to capture their first tournament title as a team since the program was revived.
ASU got off to a hot start in the tournament and never looked back after sweeping Boise State 4-0 in the first round. Victories by Michaël Geerts, Benjamin Hannestad and Makey Rakotomalala headlined the win, including Geerts' fourth-straight win on the season.
Next in the draw, the Devils faced a familiar foe in Fresno State. Play began on Friday afternoon in Montgomery with ASU in prime position to clinch the doubles point holding comfortable 6-0 and 5-3 leads on courts one and two, but rain postponed the match until Saturday morning.
The pair of Geerts/Thomas Wright made quick work of their opponent when play resumed Saturday morning, grabbing a set point to clinch the doubles point for the Devils in a 6-3 victory. The win marked their first win as a tandem on the season after debuting with a loss against Boise State.
Singles play brought the Devils their first challenge in a few matches, as they had kept their previous two opponents scoreless rolling into the second round matchup. The Bulldogs knotted things up at one apiece when Cem Erturk defeated Thomas Wright, 0-6 4-6.
It was a back-and-forth affair for the rest of the matchup, as Rakotomalala countered with his team-leading seventh win of the season, handing Xander Veys of Fresno State a 6-2, 6-4 loss.
Fresno State again clawed back with a win on court six, with Cagatay Soke defeating Pierre Louis Dodens, 1-6 4-6.
However, Geerts, who has been dominant in singles play of late, put the Devils in a good position to clinch the victory with an easy 6-4 6-2 win over Mantas Bugailiskis, whom he also defeated when the Bulldogs were in Tempe at the ASU Invitational.
Hannestad picked up right where he left off just a day ago, pulling out a 6-4 7-6 win over Jeremy Moser that included a back-and-forth tiebreaker to clinch the match for the Devils, 4-2.
Arizona State: 4
Fresno State: 2
Doubles Play
1. Michaël Geerts/Thomas Wright (ASU) def. Mantas Bugailiskis/Cem Erturk (FSU), 6-3
2. Tim Ruehl/Benjamin Hannestad (ASU) def. Zdenek Derkas/Youseff Hassan (FSU), 6-0
3. Makey Rakotomalala/Andrea Bolla (ASU) vs. Xander Veys/Cagatay Soke (FSU), 3-3 unfinished
Order of Finish: 2, 1
Singles Play
1. #65 Michaël Geerts (ASU) def. Mantas Bugailiskis (FSU) 6-4, 6-2
2. #56 Benjamin Hannestad (ASU) def. Jeremy Moser (FSU) 6-4, 7-6
3. Makey Rakotomalala (ASU) def. Xander Veys (FSU) 6-2, 6-4
4. Andrea Bolla (ASU) vs. Zdenek Derkas (FSU) 0-6, 6-6 unfinished
5. Cem Erturk (FSU) def. Thomas Wright (ASU) 0-6, 4-6
6. Cagatay Soke (FSU) def. Pierre Louis Dodens (ASU) 1-6, 4-6
Order of Finish: 5, 3, 6, 1, 2
ASU 4, ALABAMA 3
In a gritty match that came down to the very end, Sun Devil men's tennis came out victorious against No. 33 Alabama, 4-3, on Saturday evening at Lagoon Park in Montgomery.
In yet another competitive match on the weekend, the Devils' resiliency showed from the very beginning. The tandem of Rakotomalala/Bolla dropped their match on court three, 3-6, to give the Crimson Tide the advantage, however, the pairs on courts one and two didn't go down without a fight.
Fresh off a doubles win against Fresno State, the pair of Geerts/Wright battled back-and-forth with a nationally-ranked Alabama duo in #34 Edson Ortiz/Mazen Osama. ASU showed fight in the matchup, going into a tiebreaker, but it was the Crimson Tide who came out on top this time 7-6 to claim the doubles point.
In singles play, the Devils were the definition of resilience, coming out strong and fast against a previously unbeaten Alabama team. Hannestad finished up the tournament with a perfect 3-0 record on the weekend solidified by a victory on court two over Thibault Cancel, 6-1 6-2, to get things rocking for ASU.
His victory provided serious momentum for his teammates, as Ruehl powered past Edson Ortiz 6-2 6-1 and Andrea Bolla followed suit soon after with a victory of his own over Riccardo Roberto 6-2 6-4.
The remaining three courts all went into third sets, the first time the Devils had played in a third set on the weekend. Both Geerts and Rakotomalala played second set tiebreakers and both came out on top to even out their respective matches at one apiece.
Things started to get interesting as Alabama took wins on courts six and three to leave Geerts' match on court one as the game-clinching point. It was a nail-biting affair, as the final set came down to a 5-4 score.
The lone ASU senior pulled through for the Devils with a win to clinch the match and secure the Blue Gray Tennis Classic Championship for ASU, the first in program history and the first Pac-12 team to do so. Geerts defeated No. 113 Mazen Osama 2-6, 7-6, 6-4 to notch his sixth-straight victory on the season and hand Alabama its first loss of 2018, 4-3.
Arizona State: 4
Alabama: 3
Doubles Play
1. #34 Edson Ortiz/Mazen Osama (BAMA) def. Michaël Geerts/Thomas Wright (ASU), 7-6
2. Tim Ruehl/Benjamin Hannestad (ASU) vs. #40 Thibault Cancel/Alexey Nesterov (BAMA), 6-6 unfinished
3. Patrick Kaukovalta/Zhe Zhou (BAMA) def. Makey Rakotomalala/Andrea Bolla (ASU), 6-3
Order of Finish: 3, 1
Singles Play
1. #65 Michaël Geerts (ASU) def. #113 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) 6-2, 6-7, 6-2
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) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
Order of Finish: 2, 4, 5, 6, 3, 1
Geertsy clutch with the W! Devils defeat Alabama 4-3! pic.twitter.com/5Jwyaqsuxo
— Sun Devil M. Tennis (@SunDevilMTennis) February 25, 2018
ASU got off to a hot start in the tournament and never looked back after sweeping Boise State 4-0 in the first round. Victories by Michaël Geerts, Benjamin Hannestad and Makey Rakotomalala headlined the win, including Geerts' fourth-straight win on the season.
Next in the draw, the Devils faced a familiar foe in Fresno State. Play began on Friday afternoon in Montgomery with ASU in prime position to clinch the doubles point holding comfortable 6-0 and 5-3 leads on courts one and two, but rain postponed the match until Saturday morning.
The pair of Geerts/Thomas Wright made quick work of their opponent when play resumed Saturday morning, grabbing a set point to clinch the doubles point for the Devils in a 6-3 victory. The win marked their first win as a tandem on the season after debuting with a loss against Boise State.
Singles play brought the Devils their first challenge in a few matches, as they had kept their previous two opponents scoreless rolling into the second round matchup. The Bulldogs knotted things up at one apiece when Cem Erturk defeated Thomas Wright, 0-6 4-6.
It was a back-and-forth affair for the rest of the matchup, as Rakotomalala countered with his team-leading seventh win of the season, handing Xander Veys of Fresno State a 6-2, 6-4 loss.
Fresno State again clawed back with a win on court six, with Cagatay Soke defeating Pierre Louis Dodens, 1-6 4-6.
However, Geerts, who has been dominant in singles play of late, put the Devils in a good position to clinch the victory with an easy 6-4 6-2 win over Mantas Bugailiskis, whom he also defeated when the Bulldogs were in Tempe at the ASU Invitational.
Hannestad picked up right where he left off just a day ago, pulling out a 6-4 7-6 win over Jeremy Moser that included a back-and-forth tiebreaker to clinch the match for the Devils, 4-2.
Arizona State: 4
Fresno State: 2
Doubles Play
1. Michaël Geerts/Thomas Wright (ASU) def. Mantas Bugailiskis/Cem Erturk (FSU), 6-3
2. Tim Ruehl/Benjamin Hannestad (ASU) def. Zdenek Derkas/Youseff Hassan (FSU), 6-0
3. Makey Rakotomalala/Andrea Bolla (ASU) vs. Xander Veys/Cagatay Soke (FSU), 3-3 unfinished
Order of Finish: 2, 1
Singles Play
1. #65 Michaël Geerts (ASU) def. Mantas Bugailiskis (FSU) 6-4, 6-2
2. #56 Benjamin Hannestad (ASU) def. Jeremy Moser (FSU) 6-4, 7-6
3. Makey Rakotomalala (ASU) def. Xander Veys (FSU) 6-2, 6-4
4. Andrea Bolla (ASU) vs. Zdenek Derkas (FSU) 0-6, 6-6 unfinished
5. Cem Erturk (FSU) def. Thomas Wright (ASU) 0-6, 4-6
6. Cagatay Soke (FSU) def. Pierre Louis Dodens (ASU) 1-6, 4-6
Order of Finish: 5, 3, 6, 1, 2
ASU 4, ALABAMA 3
In a gritty match that came down to the very end, Sun Devil men's tennis came out victorious against No. 33 Alabama, 4-3, on Saturday evening at Lagoon Park in Montgomery.
.@bluegraymgm Champs ???? pic.twitter.com/mLDZSeqGnE
— Sun Devil M. Tennis (@SunDevilMTennis) February 25, 2018
In yet another competitive match on the weekend, the Devils' resiliency showed from the very beginning. The tandem of Rakotomalala/Bolla dropped their match on court three, 3-6, to give the Crimson Tide the advantage, however, the pairs on courts one and two didn't go down without a fight.
Fresh off a doubles win against Fresno State, the pair of Geerts/Wright battled back-and-forth with a nationally-ranked Alabama duo in #34 Edson Ortiz/Mazen Osama. ASU showed fight in the matchup, going into a tiebreaker, but it was the Crimson Tide who came out on top this time 7-6 to claim the doubles point.
In singles play, the Devils were the definition of resilience, coming out strong and fast against a previously unbeaten Alabama team. Hannestad finished up the tournament with a perfect 3-0 record on the weekend solidified by a victory on court two over Thibault Cancel, 6-1 6-2, to get things rocking for ASU.
His victory provided serious momentum for his teammates, as Ruehl powered past Edson Ortiz 6-2 6-1 and Andrea Bolla followed suit soon after with a victory of his own over Riccardo Roberto 6-2 6-4.
The remaining three courts all went into third sets, the first time the Devils had played in a third set on the weekend. Both Geerts and Rakotomalala played second set tiebreakers and both came out on top to even out their respective matches at one apiece.
Things started to get interesting as Alabama took wins on courts six and three to leave Geerts' match on court one as the game-clinching point. It was a nail-biting affair, as the final set came down to a 5-4 score.
The lone ASU senior pulled through for the Devils with a win to clinch the match and secure the Blue Gray Tennis Classic Championship for ASU, the first in program history and the first Pac-12 team to do so. Geerts defeated No. 113 Mazen Osama 2-6, 7-6, 6-4 to notch his sixth-straight victory on the season and hand Alabama its first loss of 2018, 4-3.
Arizona State: 4
Alabama: 3
Doubles Play
1. #34 Edson Ortiz/Mazen Osama (BAMA) def. Michaël Geerts/Thomas Wright (ASU), 7-6
2. Tim Ruehl/Benjamin Hannestad (ASU) vs. #40 Thibault Cancel/Alexey Nesterov (BAMA), 6-6 unfinished
3. Patrick Kaukovalta/Zhe Zhou (BAMA) def. Makey Rakotomalala/Andrea Bolla (ASU), 6-3
Order of Finish: 3, 1
Singles Play
1. #65 Michaël Geerts (ASU) def. #113 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) 6-2, 6-7, 6-2
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) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
Order of Finish: 2, 4, 5, 6, 3, 1