TEMPE, Ariz. – Sun Devil men's tennis punctuated a busy week on a high note, taking matches against Washington and GCU with relative ease on Sunday at the Whiteman Tennis Center. The Sun Devils began the day by sweeping the Huskies 4-0 and finished with a 4-1 victory over the Lopes.
"I thought the boys competed well all through the day," coach Matt Hill said. "Some courts were good in singles against GCU and some looked tired, but it was a long day and that's just something we need to clean up. Keeping our composure even when we're physically exhausted will be a key for us down the stretch in the postseason."
With the wins, ASU outscored their opponents 19-1 this week spread across four games. The Sun Devils (12-10) kicked off their home stand with a 7-0 win over Delaware on Tuesday and continued their momentum with another 4-0 sweep, this time over handing the No. 42 Ducks just their fourth loss of the season on Friday evening.
"We're starting to play some better tennis and we're starting to be better mentally," Hill said. "There's some things we're seeing some progress on, and overall it was a really good week for us."
Devils doubles once again shined today, as ASU took both first points to total 16 on the year in 22 matches. No. 9 Dominik Kellovsky/Nathan Ponwith and No. 71 Andrea Bolla/Tim Ruehl took victories in both matchups, with the former clinching the doubles point against Washington and the latter against GCU.
Bolla/Ruehl now own a six-match win streak as a tandem and have won seven of their last eight decisions. Ponwith/Kellovsky are on a similar upward trend, now riding a five-match win streak and registering a victory in seven of their last nine.
Kellovsky and Ponwith also turned heads as individuals, as the two took home two singles victories today to go undefeated on the week in singles and 3-0 as a pair. Ponwith clinched the victory over the Huskies with his 6-4, 6-4 win and then returned to finish up first against the Lopes to the tune of a 6-0, 7-6 (1) straight-set victory. Kellovsky too won both matches today in straight-sets, defeating his opponent from Washington 6-4, 6-4 and the Lopes 6-4, 6-4 while adding another win Friday night.
"Nate and Dom were both great players coming in, it just took a little bit for them to get their legs under them," Hill said. "Now they're starting to click on all cylinders and they're dangerous players. It's huge for us because we didn't have that earlier in the year."
Sophomore Makey Rakotomlala rounded out the Sun Devil victories against Washington, winning 6-3, 6-2 over his opponent on court five. Bolla joined him as the final Sun Devil to record a singles win today in his match-clinching comeback victory against GCU. The Italian showed major resilience, taking his first set 6-4 while dropping the second 6-1. He stepped up in his must-win third set, taking the 6-0 victory for his seventh win of the season.
Thomas Wright was also a major bright spot for ASU as well, taking part in his first regular season match since March of 2018 against GCU. The Brit played a few matches in the fall, but a recurring injury limited his time since. Although Wright lost 6-4, 7-6 (2), he remained competitive to the tune of a 5-5 second-set tie late before bowing out.
"It's nice to have healthy bodies and guys to be able to train to give us more depth," Hill said. "It was great to have Tom back out tonight even though he didn't get his match."
The Sun Devils are back in action for their final home match this Sat., April 13 at 1 p.m. ASU's senior Justin Roberts will be honored on his Senior Day, and fans can keep up with the action by following @SunDevilMTennis on Twitter.
"I thought the boys competed well all through the day," coach Matt Hill said. "Some courts were good in singles against GCU and some looked tired, but it was a long day and that's just something we need to clean up. Keeping our composure even when we're physically exhausted will be a key for us down the stretch in the postseason."
With the wins, ASU outscored their opponents 19-1 this week spread across four games. The Sun Devils (12-10) kicked off their home stand with a 7-0 win over Delaware on Tuesday and continued their momentum with another 4-0 sweep, this time over handing the No. 42 Ducks just their fourth loss of the season on Friday evening.
"We're starting to play some better tennis and we're starting to be better mentally," Hill said. "There's some things we're seeing some progress on, and overall it was a really good week for us."
Devils doubles once again shined today, as ASU took both first points to total 16 on the year in 22 matches. No. 9 Dominik Kellovsky/Nathan Ponwith and No. 71 Andrea Bolla/Tim Ruehl took victories in both matchups, with the former clinching the doubles point against Washington and the latter against GCU.
Bolla/Ruehl now own a six-match win streak as a tandem and have won seven of their last eight decisions. Ponwith/Kellovsky are on a similar upward trend, now riding a five-match win streak and registering a victory in seven of their last nine.
Kellovsky and Ponwith also turned heads as individuals, as the two took home two singles victories today to go undefeated on the week in singles and 3-0 as a pair. Ponwith clinched the victory over the Huskies with his 6-4, 6-4 win and then returned to finish up first against the Lopes to the tune of a 6-0, 7-6 (1) straight-set victory. Kellovsky too won both matches today in straight-sets, defeating his opponent from Washington 6-4, 6-4 and the Lopes 6-4, 6-4 while adding another win Friday night.
"Nate and Dom were both great players coming in, it just took a little bit for them to get their legs under them," Hill said. "Now they're starting to click on all cylinders and they're dangerous players. It's huge for us because we didn't have that earlier in the year."
Sophomore Makey Rakotomlala rounded out the Sun Devil victories against Washington, winning 6-3, 6-2 over his opponent on court five. Bolla joined him as the final Sun Devil to record a singles win today in his match-clinching comeback victory against GCU. The Italian showed major resilience, taking his first set 6-4 while dropping the second 6-1. He stepped up in his must-win third set, taking the 6-0 victory for his seventh win of the season.
Thomas Wright was also a major bright spot for ASU as well, taking part in his first regular season match since March of 2018 against GCU. The Brit played a few matches in the fall, but a recurring injury limited his time since. Although Wright lost 6-4, 7-6 (2), he remained competitive to the tune of a 5-5 second-set tie late before bowing out.
"It's nice to have healthy bodies and guys to be able to train to give us more depth," Hill said. "It was great to have Tom back out tonight even though he didn't get his match."
The Sun Devils are back in action for their final home match this Sat., April 13 at 1 p.m. ASU's senior Justin Roberts will be honored on his Senior Day, and fans can keep up with the action by following @SunDevilMTennis on Twitter.