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ASU Men’s Tennis: Sun Devils face Baylor in first round of NCAA Tournament

By Carson Roberts

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky the Sun Devil performs during the team's quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament against the Oregon Ducks T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Oregon won 80-57. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky the Sun Devil performs during the team's quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament against the Oregon Ducks T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Oregon won 80-57. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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In its first season since being reinstated as a Division I program, ASU men’s tennis faces Baylor in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Sun Devils earned a bid to the 2018 D-I Men’s Tennis Championships in their first season since reinstatement.

No, 36 Arizona State (14-10) was paired up with No. 18 Baylor (20-9) for the first round. The match will take place Friday in College Station, Texas.

Each team competed in a heavyweight conference this season, as the Pac-12 sent seven teams to the tournament and the Big 12 sent six.

The biggest singles matchup of the round will be between the Sun Devils’ Michaël Geerts and the Bears’ Johannes Schretter.

Geerts has been ASU’s most consistent singles threat. He’s currently ranked 20th in the nation and owns a win over the top-ranked Martin Redlicki.

Schretter did not secure the top position until recently; however, he defeated No. 25 Aziz Dougaz earlier this year.

The matchup for Court 2 should feature Benjamin Hannestad going up against Baylor’s Bjoern Petersen.

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Hannestad struggled after suffering an injury late in the season, but has returned to form with wins in two of his past three singles matches.

Petersen spent much of the season playing on Court 1, but has played on the second court in three of the past four weeks.

Petersen could flip with Schretter, as they are 5-6 and 4-5, respectively, when playing on the first court.

On the third court, the expected matchup is between Makey Rakotomalala and Matias Soto.

Rakotomalala, when performing well, is very dangerous. His high energy and engagement boosts his play and the play of his teammates.

While Rakotomalala has consistently been on the third court he saw some time on Court 2 this season as well.

Soto is very similar in that he’s seen time on both the second and third court. He’s been very successful in recent weeks, as he won two out of three games playing on Court 2 entering the tournament.

Andrea Bolla, Tim Ruehl and Will Kirkman should round out the Sun Devils’ lineup. Meanwhile, some trio of Will Little, Sven Lah, Constantin Frantzen and Roy Smith should do the same for the Bears.

The top singles players from each squad will most likely face off in doubles too, as the Court 1 pairings should be Geerts with Ruehl and Schretter with Little.

Schretter and Little, the No. 15 pairing in the nation, have helped Baylor secure 22 doubles points in 29 games.

Geerts and Ruehl sit nine spots behind teammates Rakotomalala and Bolla, but head coach Matt Hill has been comfortable playing them on the first court spot all season.

Although Rakotomalala and Bolla will probably play on Court 2, they should expect a great effort from the Bears’ Akos Kotorman and Frantzen.

Court 3 should provide the game-changing matchup, with ASU’s Hannestad and Kirkman taking on Baylor’s Lah and Smith.

Hill didn’t play Hannestad and Kirkman until late in the season. The duo finished with a 3-1 conference record and should see more time together.

The Bears, however, have the hotter tandem. Lah and Smith enter the tournament on a 10-match win streak, including a 19-2 record overall.

In the end, this matchup will come down to depth, as each of the top matchups should be competitive.

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

The winner of this first round match will go on to face the winner of the matchup between regional host Texas A&M and Lamar.