OJAI, Calif. – No. 28/23 Sun Devil men's tennis' comeback effort fell short on Thursday morning in Ojai, dropping their match with No. 33 Cal 4-1 in the quarterfinal round of the 2019 Pac-12 Championships. The match represented the third time ASU faced off against the Bears in 2019, with both sides holding one win apiece heading into this morning's affair.
In uncharacteristic fashion, the Sun Devils (13-13) dropped the doubles point after securing 10-straight to close out the regular season. Tandem play has been a strength all season-long for ASU as they secured 19 doubles points in 25 matches, including over tennis powerhouses like No. 3 Wake Forest, No. 6 Baylor, No. 8 USC and No. 9 TCU among the top-10.
"I give a lot of credit to Cal because they played really well today in doubles," coach Matt Hill said. "They came out of the gates well and we came out a little flat and weren't executing well."
Graduate student Justin Roberts flipped his momentum with an easy win to knot the team score up at one early. The Bahamian finished with a victory in a little over an hour, making quick work of his opponent. He glided to an easy 6-0 first set win and followed 6-4 in set two to secure seven wins in his last nine decisions.
"J's win reset the climate and environment by putting a point on the board to even it back up," Hill said. "All the other courts were battles today."
ASU showed flashes of resiliency toward the end, with the Bears one point away from clinching the victory after taking matches on courts six and two for a 3-1 lead late. No. 74 Nathan Ponwith, Tim Ruehl and Andrea Bolla were the three left in action looking to turn things around.
Ruehl played a gritty matchup from the beginning on court four, with both sets being decided by breakers. Despite his precision at the net, he dropped his first set 7-6 (6) and again battled to a tiebreaker second set. His match was left unfinished 6-7, 6-6 (6-5) when the Bears clinched the victory.
"He did a great job mentally on the court because there were a lot of up and down swings in that match," Hill said. "He was playing an opponent that is really hot and cold, and I thought he managed his match really well."
Looking to extend his win streak to six-straight, Bolla also dropped his first set but fought back to take his second rather easily at 6-1. The Italian's match too was abandoned when Cal clinched, left unfinished at 4-6, 6-1, 4-3.
The clinch came down to Ponwith on court one, who dropped his first set 6-2 but was able to storm back to take his second, 6-4, forcing a third. Showing flashes of a comeback, the Scottsdale native sat tied at 1-all and then 2-all early. His opponent broke out for three-straight game points, but Ponwith was able to scratch a game point across to stay alive at 3-5. The Bears unfortunately clinched the match at deuce to clinch the 4-1 win for Cal.
"I think overall Cal did a better job in a lot of areas today and played really well today," Hill said. "Hats off to them for sure."
The Sun Devils turn their sights toward Selection Show Monday this Monday, April 29 at 3 p.m. MST. The squad looks to punch a ticket to their third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance dating back to their final season in 2008.
In uncharacteristic fashion, the Sun Devils (13-13) dropped the doubles point after securing 10-straight to close out the regular season. Tandem play has been a strength all season-long for ASU as they secured 19 doubles points in 25 matches, including over tennis powerhouses like No. 3 Wake Forest, No. 6 Baylor, No. 8 USC and No. 9 TCU among the top-10.
"I give a lot of credit to Cal because they played really well today in doubles," coach Matt Hill said. "They came out of the gates well and we came out a little flat and weren't executing well."
Graduate student Justin Roberts flipped his momentum with an easy win to knot the team score up at one early. The Bahamian finished with a victory in a little over an hour, making quick work of his opponent. He glided to an easy 6-0 first set win and followed 6-4 in set two to secure seven wins in his last nine decisions.
"J's win reset the climate and environment by putting a point on the board to even it back up," Hill said. "All the other courts were battles today."
ASU showed flashes of resiliency toward the end, with the Bears one point away from clinching the victory after taking matches on courts six and two for a 3-1 lead late. No. 74 Nathan Ponwith, Tim Ruehl and Andrea Bolla were the three left in action looking to turn things around.
Ruehl played a gritty matchup from the beginning on court four, with both sets being decided by breakers. Despite his precision at the net, he dropped his first set 7-6 (6) and again battled to a tiebreaker second set. His match was left unfinished 6-7, 6-6 (6-5) when the Bears clinched the victory.
"He did a great job mentally on the court because there were a lot of up and down swings in that match," Hill said. "He was playing an opponent that is really hot and cold, and I thought he managed his match really well."
Looking to extend his win streak to six-straight, Bolla also dropped his first set but fought back to take his second rather easily at 6-1. The Italian's match too was abandoned when Cal clinched, left unfinished at 4-6, 6-1, 4-3.
The clinch came down to Ponwith on court one, who dropped his first set 6-2 but was able to storm back to take his second, 6-4, forcing a third. Showing flashes of a comeback, the Scottsdale native sat tied at 1-all and then 2-all early. His opponent broke out for three-straight game points, but Ponwith was able to scratch a game point across to stay alive at 3-5. The Bears unfortunately clinched the match at deuce to clinch the 4-1 win for Cal.
"I think overall Cal did a better job in a lot of areas today and played really well today," Hill said. "Hats off to them for sure."
The Sun Devils turn their sights toward Selection Show Monday this Monday, April 29 at 3 p.m. MST. The squad looks to punch a ticket to their third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance dating back to their final season in 2008.