SAINT PETER, Minn. - No. 16 Gustavus men's tennis won two matches at the Swanson Tennis Center on Saturday, opening the afternoon with a swift 9-0 win over Saint Mary's before finishing the night with a 6-1 win over UC-Santa Cruz. The Gusties improve to 3-3 overall and 2-0 in the MIAC.Â
Gustavus 9, Saint Mary's 0
The Gusties started the day with a sweep in doubles.
Owen Skanse and
Noah Hakim cruised to an 8-1 win at No. 1, followed by and 8-2 win at No. 2 by
Yash Bahalkar and
Quinn Monson.
Odin Fouchier and
Joseph Li finished it up with an 8-6 win at No. 3.Â
All singles matches were won convincingly in straight sets from the top down - Hakim,
Ali Derbani, Monson, Bahalkar, Skanse, and Fouchier, respectively.Â
Gustavus 6, UC-Santa Cruz 1
Just as they did against SMU, the Gusties started the match with a clean sweep in doubles.
Taona Mhwandagara and
Dominik Knutson rolled to a 6-0 win at No. 3,
Gage Gohl and
Tyler Haddorff won 6-2 at No. 1, while
Josh Christensen and
Marco Siviero battled to a 7-6 (7-1) win at No. 2.Â
Siviero, Christensen, Knutson, and Mhwandagara won win straight sets, while
Luke Fridinger battled back for a 5-7, 6-1, 1-0 (10-0) win at No. 6. The Banana Slugs earned thier lone point with a three-set victory at No. 4 singles.Â
"The guys were fantastic today. We played two complete team matches competing our way," said Head Coach
Dr. Tommy Valentini. "The guys stuck together nicely and handled the big moments very well. We're making good progress and grateful for two good results but also for how our group is handling and enjoying challenges. We'll look to rest up and recover and be ready for a fun weekend and some great challenges next weekend as we welcome ITA Indoors to Gustavus."
Gustavus hosts the ITA National Team Indoor Championships next weekend, Friday through Sunday, at the Swanson Tennis Center. The Gusties start the eight-team tournament against No. 1 Chicago at 7 p.m. Friday.Â
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