MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Coming off a tough start to the spring season on the road, the Illinois State men’s tennis team picked up their first spring win in dominant fashion with a 7-0 victory over Marquette on Sunday afternoon at the Elite Sports Club – North Shore.
“I couldn’t be happier with the win today,” ISU head coach Mark Klysner said. “We played some great doubles and that momentum carried us through the singles. I was most impressed with the way we handled the big points and we carried ourselves like pros out there. That is something we have been working on a lot.”
The Redbirds got off to a great start in doubles, with the No. 2 team of Arvid Hjalte and Tom Bevan defeating Marquette’s Jasper Schaadt and Jan Jauch by a score of 6-2. They then clinched the doubles point with a win at the No. 3 spot, as Caden Scarlett and Tomas Valencia took down Teddy Wong and Ivan Vazquez by a score of 6-3 to give ISU the early lead.
As action moved to singles, it was a clean sweep for the Redbirds as they jumped out to a 3-0 lead with straight-set wins at No. 5 and No. 6 by Valencia and Scarlett, respectively. The match was then clinched with a win at No. 4 by Tin Ostro as he defeated Schaadt by a final of 6-2, 7-5. A 6-4, 6-2 win by Nam Pham at the No. 1 spot over Tin Krstulovic then made the score 5-0 before Hjalte added another win at No. 2 over Blake Roegner by a score of 7-5, 6-4. One final victory by Emiliano Gonzales would put a bow on the win, as the battled back after dropping the first set to Nathan Balthazor to win the final two to secure the sweep.
Illinois State will host their first match of the spring at the Evergreen Racquet Club on Wednesday, when the Redbirds host Lindenwood for a match at Noon CT.
FINAL SCORE: Illinois State (7), Marquette (0)
Doubles:
No. 1 Tin Krstulovic/Blake Roegner (MU) vs. Emiliano Gonzales/Tin Ostro (ISU) unfinished
No. 2 Arvid Hjalte/Tom Bevan (ISU) def. Jasper Schaadt/Jan Jauch (MU) 6-2
No. 3 Caden Scarlett/Tomas Valencia (ISU) def. Teddy Wong/Ivan Vazquez (MU) 6-3
Singles:
No. 1 Nam Pham (ISU) def. Tin Krstulovic (MU) 6-4, 6-2
No. 2 Arvid Hjalte (ISU) def. Blake Roegner (MU) 7-5, 6-4
No. 3 Emiliano Gonzales (ISU) def. Jan Jauch (MU) 2-6, 6-4, 10-8
No. 4 Tin Ostro (ISU) def. Jasper Schaadt (MU) 6-2, 7-5
No. 5 Tomas Valencia (ISU) def. Nathan Balthazor (MU) 6-1, 6-1
No. 6 Caden Scarlett (ISU) def. Teddy Wong (MU) 6-0, 6-3
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