IRVING - On Tuesday, the Big 12 Conference announced that Sun Devil Men's Tennis junior Jelani Sarr was named Player of the Week following the team's upset weekend over No. 8 USD and Princeton en route to a berth at ITA Indoor National Championships.
After having just one weekly honor last season, ASU has picked up two weekly awards in the two weeks to open the season.
Have a weekend, Jelani 🤩👏
6-3, 6-4 win to upset No. 8 USD ✅
3-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 win to clinch a spot in Indoors ✅#ForksUp /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/6urDEgVmfC
In Friday's match over No. 8 USD, Sarr had a crucial point to secure ASU's 4-2 victory in the highest upset since the team's reinstatement. He downed USD's Adrien Berrut, the 2025 WCC Freshman of the Year, 6-3, 6-4 from the sixth position.
On Saturday, with the ITA Indoors spot on the line, Sarr battled back in the three-set thriller to clinch the match for ASU and send them to their second ITA Indoor National Championship in three seasons. Despite a 3-0 deficit, ASU battled back and after three singles wins Sarr was the last man standing with the 3-3 match on the line. After losing the first set 3-6, Sarr took the second set in the 7-5(5) tiebreak before closing out the third set 6-3 and clinching the 4-3 win for ASU.
Sarr is one of six transfers that joined the team over the summer, and had let Arizona State to it's best start in decades, as the team's eight-match season-opening win streak is the best mark since reinstatement. Last season ASU did not reach the eight-win mark until March 15, but has done so two weeks into the season.