CHICAGO, Ill. – Early success in doubles play carried over into singles action as the Creighton men’s tennis team cruised to a 6-1 victory over Chicago State on Friday afternoon in the Windy City.
Creighton improves to 3-2 on the year with the victory, while the Cougars fell to 0-1 on their young season.
“For the first time this season, we were the favorites today,” said head coach Gerhard Posch. “We handled that situation well and played focused all afternoon. We will continue to stay disciplined and keep working on our game.”
Alejandro Gandini and Yuma Daijima got the Bluejays started right out of the gate, posting a 6-1 win at the No. 3 doubles position. Senior Matthew Lanahan and sophomore Kirtan Patel then clinched the doubles point for the Jays with a quick 6-2 triumph at the top doubles slot. Shin Inoue and Zachary Kuo also earned a 6-2 victory at the No. 2 doubles spot.
Creighton continued their dominate performance into singles play, claiming the match with four straight-set victories on the No. 3, No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 singles court.
Inoue began singles play with a dominating 6-1, 6-1 straight-sets win on the No. 6 single court, before Daijima earned a 6-1, 6-2 triumph at the No. 5 singles slot to give the Jays a 3-0 lead. Senior Ethan Neil would then clinch the overall dual for the Bluejays with a 6-2, 6-4 victory at the No. 4 singles position.
Gandini pushed the lead to 5-0 moments later, following a 6-3, 6-3 straight-sets win on the No. 3 singles court. Kup also came out victorious on Friday, claiming a 6-3, 6-7 (7-5), 10-2 three-set win at the No. 2 singles position.
Chicago State would then close the match by claiming their lone win of the afternoon, as Pedro Alvarez took down Lanahan, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 at the top singles position.
Creighton returns to the court tomorrow evening for a BIG EAST Conference matchup against DePaul. First serve between the Bluejays and the Blue Demons is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Lakeshore Sport & Fitness Center.