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ASU Men’s Tennis: All goes well for Sun Devils in 4-0 victory over Arizona

By Carson Roberts

TEMPE, AZ - NOVEMBER 14: The Arizona State Sun Devils mascot 'Sparky' performs during the college football game against the Washington Huskies at Sun Devil Stadium on November 14, 2015 in Tempe, Arizona. The Sun Devils defeated the Huskies 27-17. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
TEMPE, AZ - NOVEMBER 14: The Arizona State Sun Devils mascot 'Sparky' performs during the college football game against the Washington Huskies at Sun Devil Stadium on November 14, 2015 in Tempe, Arizona. The Sun Devils defeated the Huskies 27-17. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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ASU men’s tennis came out firing in their first Territorial Cup match against Arizona Saturday, shutting out their in-state rivals in a 4-0 victory.

It was an enjoyable afternoon for Arizona State (14-9) as the team celebrated Michaël Geerts’ senior day with a dominant performance in front of a lively crowd.

After another loss, Arizona (15-14) completed their conference schedule without a win.

Both teams came out strong in the hotly contested doubles matches.

The Sun Devils, playing without a recently injured Tim Ruehl, slotted Pierre Louis Dodens in with Geerts. Head coach Matt Hill also placed the new tandem on Court 2, bumping Makey Rakotomalala and Andrea Bolla to Court 1.

“They did a great job,” Hill said of the pairing. “I thought Pierre did a phenomenal job just stepping in, doing his part and really helping the team get over the hump there in the doubles.”

Benjamin Hannestad and Will Kirkman opened up scoring on Court 3, downing Arizona’s Carlos Hassey and Filip Malbasic 6-3.

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Next came a race to the finish. Courts 1 and 2 each held matches that went to the tiebreaker.

Geerts and Dodens finished before their teammates, edging Jonas Maier and Alejandro Reguant 7-6.

With the win, Arizona State earned the doubles point and an early 1-0 lead.

As for Rakotomalala and Bolla, the duo had their match with Igor Karpovetz and Aaro Pollanen called at 6-6.

Heading into singles play, the favored Sun Devils needed wins on three courts to clinch the victory.

ASU was well on their way to just that with Geerts’ easy 6-3, 6-3 win over Karpovetz on Court 1.

Geerts played perhaps his best game as a Sun Devil, making amazing plays with both his forehand and backhand.

On the next court, Rakotomalala pulled ahead after a nail-biting first set.

Rakotomalala won his first set against Malbasic 7-6 before a much more comfortable 6-3 victory.

Following the two singles points, ASU held a strong advantage over Arizona. The Sun Devils led 3-0, and Hannestad was up 5-0 in a decisive third set.

Hannestad silenced a late push from Pollanen, sealing the game with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 win.

While ASU won the match without too much trouble, each of the uncompleted courts hosted a competitive matchup.

On Court 4, Bolla was locked in a tight match with Reguant. Reguant won the first set 7-6; however, Bolla led the next set 6-5 before cancellation.

Kirkman completed two sets – 3-6, 7-6 – against the Wildcats’ Trent Botha on Court 5 before their match was called. The third set was tied 0-0.

Court 6’s match between Dodens and Hassey was as even as it gets. Dodens took a narrow 7-6 victory in the first set before the second set ended while tied at 3-3.

The Sun Devils hope to ride the momentum from both an exciting weekend and the return of Thomas Wright into the Pac-12 Championships.

Next: ASU Tennis: Sun Devils fall to Trojans at home

Coach Hill said, “We know we have individually beaten players against the top teams in the country, so it’s great to see all those spots firing.”

The conference tournament will take place April 25-28 in Ojai, California.