TEMPE - No. 19 Arizona State (13-3) knocked down Utah State (7-4) by a score of 4-1 Sunday in Tempe afternoon in the lone match of the weekend. The win came thanks to a strong effort at the top of the lineup from Tim Ruehl, Makey Rakotomalala and Christian Lerby. ASU moves to 10-1 in home matches with the win. The Aggies proved to be a formidable foe. USU players forced four singles matches to go to a third set and nearly used a late-match rally to come back against the Sun Devils.
The day opened with a Sun Devil double point victory. Rakotomalala paired with Ruehl at No. 2 and quickly tore through Jack Ninteman/Roko Savin 6-0. Nathan Ponwith and George Stoupe then earned a solid 6-2 win at No. 1 to put ASU up.
Rakotomalala kept the momentum going in singles with a two-set win at No. 2. The Frenchman downed Felipe Acosta in 20 minutes to the delight of the crowd. Savin was the next one off, the Aggie besting Stoupe in a pair of frames to give USU its lone point of the day.
The Maroon and Gold ground through the rest of the match and USU looked like it would pull off the upset, but Ruehl's victory at No. 1 and Lerby's decision at No. 3 gave ASU the victory.
Up Next
No. 19 ASU hosts Idaho State at 9:00 a.m. Wednesday in the final non-conference match of the year before hosting UCLA Friday at 2 p.m. and USC Sunday at 1 p.m. Fans are permitted at all home matches but masks and physical distancing are required and capacity will be limited on a first-come basis.
Mar 21, 2021 at Tempe, AZ
(Whiteman Tennis Center)
#19 Arizona State 4, Utah State 1
Singles competition
1. Tim Ruehl (ASU) def. BUCUR, Sergiu (USU) 6-1, 4-6, 6-0
2. Makey Rakotomalala (ASU) def. ACOSTA, Felipe (USU) 6-1, 6-0
3. Christian Lerby (ASU) def. EL MESBAHI, Souf (USU) 6-7, 6-3, 6-3
4. SAVIN, Roko (USU) def. George Stoupe (ASU) 6-4, 7-6
5. Spencer Brachman (ASU) vs. RUIZ, Javier (USU) 6-4, 3-6, 5-5, unfinished
6. Jonah Wilson (ASU) vs. RIGBY, Keanu (USU) 6-7, 7-6, 3-5, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Nathan Ponwith/George Stoupe (ASU) def. ACOSTA, Felipe/RUIZ, Javier (USU) 6-2
2. Makey Rakotomalala/Tim Ruehl (ASU) def. NINTEMAN, Jack/SAVIN, Roko (USU) 6-0
3. Moritz Hoffmann/Jonah Wilson (ASU) vs. BUCUR, Sergiu/EL MESBAHI, Souf (USU) 4-4, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (2,4,1,3)
The day opened with a Sun Devil double point victory. Rakotomalala paired with Ruehl at No. 2 and quickly tore through Jack Ninteman/Roko Savin 6-0. Nathan Ponwith and George Stoupe then earned a solid 6-2 win at No. 1 to put ASU up.
Rakotomalala kept the momentum going in singles with a two-set win at No. 2. The Frenchman downed Felipe Acosta in 20 minutes to the delight of the crowd. Savin was the next one off, the Aggie besting Stoupe in a pair of frames to give USU its lone point of the day.
The Maroon and Gold ground through the rest of the match and USU looked like it would pull off the upset, but Ruehl's victory at No. 1 and Lerby's decision at No. 3 gave ASU the victory.
Up Next
No. 19 ASU hosts Idaho State at 9:00 a.m. Wednesday in the final non-conference match of the year before hosting UCLA Friday at 2 p.m. and USC Sunday at 1 p.m. Fans are permitted at all home matches but masks and physical distancing are required and capacity will be limited on a first-come basis.
Mar 21, 2021 at Tempe, AZ
(Whiteman Tennis Center)
#19 Arizona State 4, Utah State 1
Singles competition
1. Tim Ruehl (ASU) def. BUCUR, Sergiu (USU) 6-1, 4-6, 6-0
2. Makey Rakotomalala (ASU) def. ACOSTA, Felipe (USU) 6-1, 6-0
3. Christian Lerby (ASU) def. EL MESBAHI, Souf (USU) 6-7, 6-3, 6-3
4. SAVIN, Roko (USU) def. George Stoupe (ASU) 6-4, 7-6
5. Spencer Brachman (ASU) vs. RUIZ, Javier (USU) 6-4, 3-6, 5-5, unfinished
6. Jonah Wilson (ASU) vs. RIGBY, Keanu (USU) 6-7, 7-6, 3-5, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Nathan Ponwith/George Stoupe (ASU) def. ACOSTA, Felipe/RUIZ, Javier (USU) 6-2
2. Makey Rakotomalala/Tim Ruehl (ASU) def. NINTEMAN, Jack/SAVIN, Roko (USU) 6-0
3. Moritz Hoffmann/Jonah Wilson (ASU) vs. BUCUR, Sergiu/EL MESBAHI, Souf (USU) 4-4, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (2,4,1,3)