INDIAN WELLS – In the quarterfinals of the 2018 BNP Paribas Collegiate Tennis Challenge, No. 26 Sun Devil men's tennis dominated Tulsa, 4-1, to move onto the championship match.
The Devils got off to a hot start early on, clinching a crucial doubles point in part by wins from pairs Thomas Wright/Will Kirkman and Michaël Geerts/Tim Ruehl. The tandem of Wright/Kirkman on court three were the first to finish, debuting as a pair in a favorable fashion. Geerts/Ruehl followed soon after to give the Devils a 1-0 lead heading into singles play.
Wright took his hot streak into singles play, making quick work of Louis Corker from Tulsa to give ASU a strong 2-0 lead. The win marked the Brit's second-straight victory of the tournament, taking a win over Roberto Rosales of Southern Methodist yesterday.
Makey Rakotomalala dropped on hard-fought battle 6-4, 6-3 on court two, however, senior Geerts picked up his teammate with a win to bring the Devils back up to a comfortable two-point lead.
With just one more point needed to clinch the match and a trip to the championship game, it was between courts three, four and six to grab the win. Andrea Bolla stepped up for ASU, handing Mitchell Pritchard a 6-2, 6-4 loss to propel the Devils to the 4-1 victory.
ASU is back in action tomorrow morning at TIME against the winner of the Cal/Baylor matchup set to begin at 2 PM MST this afternoon. Fans can follow the action of the championship game on Twitter by following @SunDevilMTennis or accessing live stats at the tournament's website.
NO. 26 ARIZONA STATE 4
TULSA 1
Doubles Finishes:
Singles Finishes:
DUB! Devils defeat Tulsa 4-1 in the quarterfinals of the #BNPPO2018 Collegiate Challenger ?? pic.twitter.com/tHH1cj1IWQ
— Sun Devil M. Tennis (@SunDevilMTennis) March 17, 2018
The Devils got off to a hot start early on, clinching a crucial doubles point in part by wins from pairs Thomas Wright/Will Kirkman and Michaël Geerts/Tim Ruehl. The tandem of Wright/Kirkman on court three were the first to finish, debuting as a pair in a favorable fashion. Geerts/Ruehl followed soon after to give the Devils a 1-0 lead heading into singles play.
Heating up on the courts right now. Match 2 is up with the doubles. @TulsaMTennis vs. @SunDevilMTennis #BNPP018 Collegiate Challenger pic.twitter.com/StbH1ev6yw
— OracleTennis (@OracleTennis) March 17, 2018
Wright took his hot streak into singles play, making quick work of Louis Corker from Tulsa to give ASU a strong 2-0 lead. The win marked the Brit's second-straight victory of the tournament, taking a win over Roberto Rosales of Southern Methodist yesterday.
Makey Rakotomalala dropped on hard-fought battle 6-4, 6-3 on court two, however, senior Geerts picked up his teammate with a win to bring the Devils back up to a comfortable two-point lead.
With just one more point needed to clinch the match and a trip to the championship game, it was between courts three, four and six to grab the win. Andrea Bolla stepped up for ASU, handing Mitchell Pritchard a 6-2, 6-4 loss to propel the Devils to the 4-1 victory.
ASU is back in action tomorrow morning at TIME against the winner of the Cal/Baylor matchup set to begin at 2 PM MST this afternoon. Fans can follow the action of the championship game on Twitter by following @SunDevilMTennis or accessing live stats at the tournament's website.
NO. 26 ARIZONA STATE 4
TULSA 1
Doubles Finishes:
- Geerts/Ruehl (ASU) def. Kilani/Baptista (TU) | 6-3
- Bolla/Rakotomalala (ASU) vs. Corker/Pritchard (TU) | 4-5 unf.
- Wright/Kirkman (ASU) def. Kamdem/Goodger (TU) | 6-4
Singles Finishes:
- Michael Geerts (ASU) def. Majed Kilani (TU) | 6-4, 6-3
- Joshua Goodger (TU) def. Makey Rakotomalala (ASU) | 6-4, 6-3
- Tim Ruehl (ASU) vs. Lucca Baptista (TU) | 7-5, 2-2 (unf.)
- Andrea Bolla def. Mitchell Pritchard (TU) | 6-2, 6-4
- Tom Wright (ASU) def. Louis Corker (TU) | 6-1, 6-3
- Pierre Louis Dodens (ASU) vs. Boriss Kamdem (TU) | 6-4, 5-2 (unf.)