INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – Arizona State men's tennis went up against No. 16 USC in a non-conference Pac-12 preview, falling to the Trojans 4-0 on Saturday afternoon at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The matchup came in the semifinal round of the 2019 Oracle Collegiate Challenge.
Sending their usual three doubles pairs to the courts, No. 39 Andrea Bolla/Tim Ruehl got off to a quick 2-0 lead while the Devil duos on courts one and two fell behind 2-1.
USC went on to clinch the doubles point, first with a 6-2 win on two followed by a 6-4 win on one. The clinch left Bolla/Ruehl unfinished with a 4-3 lead on three.
The pair of No. 55 Nathan Ponwith/Dominik Kellovsky battled with the No. 28-ranked Brandon Holt/Riley Smith from USC, falling behind 4-2 late. Ponwith notched four service aces to take a game point and cut the Trojan lead, but the tandem eventually fell to cede the first point.
The Sun Devils sent the same lineup that beat No. 13 Michigan yesterday to the courts for singles. The first four courts got off to early leads, however, they were unable to sustain those leads as the Trojans took all but one first set.
ASU fell behind 2-0 when USC took a 6-4, 6-1 victory on court two, as No. 6 Daniel Cukierman proved to be too much for Kellovsky.
The Trojans sent three players ranked in the top-25 in the nation to play today including Cukierman, Ponwith's opponent No. 16 Brandon Holt and Bolla's opponent No. 23 Laurens Verboven.
Holding a 2-0 lead, USC took victories on courts one and six to clinch the 4-0 win over the Sun Devils. Bolla, Justin Roberts and Ruehl were all left unfinished with the clinch.
The Sun Devils are back in action tomorrow against No. 31 Cal at not before 2 p.m. MST. Fans can keep up with the action all season long by following @SunDevilMTennis on Twitter.
Sending their usual three doubles pairs to the courts, No. 39 Andrea Bolla/Tim Ruehl got off to a quick 2-0 lead while the Devil duos on courts one and two fell behind 2-1.
USC went on to clinch the doubles point, first with a 6-2 win on two followed by a 6-4 win on one. The clinch left Bolla/Ruehl unfinished with a 4-3 lead on three.
The pair of No. 55 Nathan Ponwith/Dominik Kellovsky battled with the No. 28-ranked Brandon Holt/Riley Smith from USC, falling behind 4-2 late. Ponwith notched four service aces to take a game point and cut the Trojan lead, but the tandem eventually fell to cede the first point.
The Sun Devils sent the same lineup that beat No. 13 Michigan yesterday to the courts for singles. The first four courts got off to early leads, however, they were unable to sustain those leads as the Trojans took all but one first set.
ASU fell behind 2-0 when USC took a 6-4, 6-1 victory on court two, as No. 6 Daniel Cukierman proved to be too much for Kellovsky.
The Trojans sent three players ranked in the top-25 in the nation to play today including Cukierman, Ponwith's opponent No. 16 Brandon Holt and Bolla's opponent No. 23 Laurens Verboven.
Holding a 2-0 lead, USC took victories on courts one and six to clinch the 4-0 win over the Sun Devils. Bolla, Justin Roberts and Ruehl were all left unfinished with the clinch.
The Sun Devils are back in action tomorrow against No. 31 Cal at not before 2 p.m. MST. Fans can keep up with the action all season long by following @SunDevilMTennis on Twitter.