Mixed results for men’s tennis at Utah Invitational Tourney
Freshman Jakob Asplund knocked off No. 6 seeded Sascha Kiehne of Weber State, 7-5, 6-1, in one of many highlights from the Utah Invitational Tournament last weekend.
Asplund’s upset, although unforeseen by many, didn’t surprise Head Coach Christian Wright.
“(Asplund) is going to have a great year,” Wright said. “He’s a very balanced player and a solid addition to the team.”
The men’s tennis team, playing in its second tournament of the year, faced off with in-state rivals Brigham Young University, the University of Utah and Weber State in what ultimately ended up being a weekend of highs and lows for the Aggies.
Following his first-round win, Asplund fell to Thomas Schubert of BYU, 2-6, 0-6.
But Asplund wasn’t the only Aggie to chalk up a first-round victory.
Senior Jonas Tyden handily defeated Chris Williams of Weber State, 6-3, 6-2, before falling in the second round to the eventual tournament champion, Zach Ganger of Utah, 2-6, 0-6. Ganger, a native of Jacksonville, Fla., was the No. 1 seed in the tournament and is currently ranked 30th in the nation in singles.
Sophomore Oscar Ericsson was the No. 7 seed heading into the tournament and rolled over Nick Plum of Weber State in the first round, 6-4, 6-1 He hung tough in the second round against Tom Young of BYU, who gave Ericsson a scare before falling, 7-5, 6-4.
“It was a tight match, but Oscar played great,” Wright said. “Overall, it was a very good tournament for him.”
Ericsson’s winning ways didn’t follow him into the quarterfinals, however, as he fell to Daniel Hwang of BYU, 2-6, 1-6.
Fernando Gallegos, a senior transfer student from Southeastern Oklahoma State University, lost early to Stephen Jacobs of Utah, 2-6, 3-6, but rebounded to record a win in the consolation bracket against Tyler Clonts of BYU. The match was a tight one, but Gallegos pulled through, defeating the Cougar, 6-3, 5-7 (10-8).
There were three players on the Aggie roster who went home without a win. Senior Mike Banks, who didn’t swing a racket in the month of September due to a fractured rib, lost to Young in the first round, 3-6, 1-6, before splitting sets in the second round with Plum. Banks lost the super-tiebreaker, which was held in place of a third set, 6-10.
Matt Searle, a sophomore in his first year with the team, lost to Evan Urbina of BYU, 2-6, 2-6 in the first round. Searle fell in the second to No. 8-seeded Othman Ouariti of Utah, 1-6, 2-6.
Playing in his first season after returning home from an LDS mission to Germany, sophomore Alex Thatcher fell in two sets to Amit Maharaj of Utah, 2-6, 2-6. Thatcher made a run in the second round in his consolation match against Fabio Mancarelli of Weber State but came up short, losing 3-6, 4-6.
Despite losses and coming home trophyless, Wright said he was pleased with his team’s performance and saw this tournament as a learning experience and a chance for his players to iron out the kinks in their games before January when the regular season begins.
“This is the preaseason,” Wright said. “We’re pushing our guys to get our of their comfort zones and improve their games.”
This method of targeting weaknesses cost the Aggies some matches over the weekend, he said, but will make the team stronger and more prepared come springtime when they face nationally ranked conference rivals Boise State and Fresno State.