MILWAUKEE, Wisc. – Sun Devil men's tennis' Andrea Bolla and Tim Ruehl notched four-straight wins to fight into the final of the 2019 Milwaukee Tennis Classic, eventually falling to Tadas Babelis/Yannai Barkai of NC State, 8-4, on Saturday at the Western Racquet Club.
Entering the tournament as the No. 3 seed, Bolla/Ruehl started off the tournament with an opening round win over a tandem from Virginia Commonwealth University in a field of 32 pairs.
The Italian-German duo continued with another victory of a pair from Notre Dame to propel themselves into the Elite 8 where they faced off against Patrick Kaukovalta/Zhe Zhou of Alabama, a pair Bolla has had experience with before. He and Makey Rakotomalala faced off against the Alabama tandem in 2018, dropping their match, 6-3. This time around, Bolla/Ruehl were able to come out on top to the tune of an 8-4 victory.
Facing off against their first ranked opponent of the season in No. 15 Payton Holden Ryan Seggerman in the semifinals, Bolla/Ruehl again took the victory, this time 8-5. Their winning would unfortunately stop there, as they fell in the finals to a pair from NC State.
The pair also played as individuals in the tournament, with Bolla entering the tournament as the No. 3 seed. He fell in the round of 16 while Ruehl fought all the way into the semifinals with four impressive wins, all in straight sets. His run was highlighted by a win over a ranked opponent in No. 78 Axel Nefve.
Makey Rakotomalala fared well in the consolation bracket, too battling into the semifinals through picking up three wins.
Entering the tournament as the No. 3 seed, Bolla/Ruehl started off the tournament with an opening round win over a tandem from Virginia Commonwealth University in a field of 32 pairs.
The Italian-German duo continued with another victory of a pair from Notre Dame to propel themselves into the Elite 8 where they faced off against Patrick Kaukovalta/Zhe Zhou of Alabama, a pair Bolla has had experience with before. He and Makey Rakotomalala faced off against the Alabama tandem in 2018, dropping their match, 6-3. This time around, Bolla/Ruehl were able to come out on top to the tune of an 8-4 victory.
Facing off against their first ranked opponent of the season in No. 15 Payton Holden Ryan Seggerman in the semifinals, Bolla/Ruehl again took the victory, this time 8-5. Their winning would unfortunately stop there, as they fell in the finals to a pair from NC State.
The pair also played as individuals in the tournament, with Bolla entering the tournament as the No. 3 seed. He fell in the round of 16 while Ruehl fought all the way into the semifinals with four impressive wins, all in straight sets. His run was highlighted by a win over a ranked opponent in No. 78 Axel Nefve.
Makey Rakotomalala fared well in the consolation bracket, too battling into the semifinals through picking up three wins.