FORT WORTH, Texas – No. 27 Sun Devil men's tennis closed out a highly successful 2019 run this evening, bowing out of the NCAA Tournament in the second round after a 4-1 loss to No. 9 TCU. The run was the best finish by the Sun Devils in 15 years, showing off substantial improvement in the squad's second season under head coach Matt Hill.
ASU as a team had not advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament since 2004 but managed postseason berths in each of the last three seasons. In their first shot since reinstatement last season, the squad bowed out in the first round 4-0 to Baylor.
In today's matchup, the Horned Frogs jumped on the board first after securing the doubles point through wins on courts one and three. Despite the loss, the pair of Andrea Bolla/Tim Ruehl highlighted ASU, handing No. 22 Bertus Kruger/Reese Stalder a relatively easy 6-3 loss.
The German-Italian pair have been successful all season-long for the maroon and gold, battling to a 12-2 record in dual match play including a perfect 7-0 record in a conference in which four of the teams in the Round of 16 belong to. The tandem caught fire toward the end of the season, going 10-1 in their last 11 matchups as a pair.
Heading into singles play with a 1-0 deficit, it was fitting that graduate student Justin Roberts notched a straight-set victory in his final game as a Sun Devil. The Bahamian – who glided past his opponent 6-3, 6-3 – transferred to Arizona State to follow head coach Matt Hill, whom Roberts played under at USF. The lone Sun Devil senior, Roberts provided valuable leadership in his lone season in maroon and gold.
Showing some signs of life toward the end, Tim Ruehl battled to tie his match up at 5-all after taking a win in his first set. Dominik Kellovsky also managed to tie things up against No. 28 Alastair Gray in set two at 3-all after dropping his first set.
Despite things beginning to look up for the two, the Horned Frogs took wins on courts one, five and six to clinch their eventual 4-1 victory, effectively ending the Sun Devils' postseason push.
While the Sun Devils as a team are finished with collegiate action in 2019, No. 17 Nathan Ponwith/Dominik Kellovsky will jet to Orlando to take part in the 2019 NCAA Doubles National Championship.
The pair were one of 32 tandems selection to take part in the championships conducted May 20-25 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida, after the conclusion of the team championship. Fans can keep up with the action all postseason-long by following @SunDevilMTennis on Twitter.
ASU as a team had not advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament since 2004 but managed postseason berths in each of the last three seasons. In their first shot since reinstatement last season, the squad bowed out in the first round 4-0 to Baylor.
In today's matchup, the Horned Frogs jumped on the board first after securing the doubles point through wins on courts one and three. Despite the loss, the pair of Andrea Bolla/Tim Ruehl highlighted ASU, handing No. 22 Bertus Kruger/Reese Stalder a relatively easy 6-3 loss.
The German-Italian pair have been successful all season-long for the maroon and gold, battling to a 12-2 record in dual match play including a perfect 7-0 record in a conference in which four of the teams in the Round of 16 belong to. The tandem caught fire toward the end of the season, going 10-1 in their last 11 matchups as a pair.
Heading into singles play with a 1-0 deficit, it was fitting that graduate student Justin Roberts notched a straight-set victory in his final game as a Sun Devil. The Bahamian – who glided past his opponent 6-3, 6-3 – transferred to Arizona State to follow head coach Matt Hill, whom Roberts played under at USF. The lone Sun Devil senior, Roberts provided valuable leadership in his lone season in maroon and gold.
Showing some signs of life toward the end, Tim Ruehl battled to tie his match up at 5-all after taking a win in his first set. Dominik Kellovsky also managed to tie things up against No. 28 Alastair Gray in set two at 3-all after dropping his first set.
Despite things beginning to look up for the two, the Horned Frogs took wins on courts one, five and six to clinch their eventual 4-1 victory, effectively ending the Sun Devils' postseason push.
While the Sun Devils as a team are finished with collegiate action in 2019, No. 17 Nathan Ponwith/Dominik Kellovsky will jet to Orlando to take part in the 2019 NCAA Doubles National Championship.
The pair were one of 32 tandems selection to take part in the championships conducted May 20-25 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida, after the conclusion of the team championship. Fans can keep up with the action all postseason-long by following @SunDevilMTennis on Twitter.