Neither the wind nor the Saint Mary̢۪s players could slow down the a Bulldogs juggernaut as the Fresno State men̢۪s tennis team cruised to a 6-1 victory at the Wathen Tennis Center on Sunday afternoon.
Fresno State set the tone for the afternoon by sweeping all three double matches to capture the doubles point.
All three doubles matches were closely contested and two actually were forced into tiebreaker situations, but the Bulldogs were able to hit the big shots and win every key point.
“We’re always happy to come away with a victory,� Fresno State head coach Jay Udwadia said. “We won some tough doubles points and tiebreakers so that tells me we’re competing well.�
Fresno State carried the momentum of the doubles sweep into singles play.
Playing in the number-one singles slot, No. 100 Jakub Cech defeated Andre Sion 6-1, 7-6 (7-2). Five-straight games propelled Cech to an early one-set lead, but the senior standout struggled to maintain the same rhythm in the second set and was eventually forced into a tiebreaker.
“In the first set I kept him under pressure,� Cech said. “I just sort of backed off a bit in the second.�
Trailing 5-6 in the second set and facing set point, Cech unleashed his serve and overpowered Sion to hold serve and force a tiebreaker.
In the tiebreaker, Cech quickly disposed of Sion by winning seven quick tiebreaker points to seal a two-set victory.
The most dominant performance of the day came from Fresno State senior Charles Irie who defeated Andrea Zanonni 6-0, 6-2. Playing in the No. 4 position, Irie displayed a full-arsenal of weapons as he dashed across the court hitting both forehand and backhand winners.
“I’m playing really good,� Irie said. “When I’m hitting my ground strokes like today I feel very confident.�
The victory was the second of the weekend for Irie who seems to have saved his best tennis for the home stretch of the season.
“Charles has been playing real rock solid,� Udwadia said.
While Fresno State̢۪s seniors played well, the underclassmen also dominated the competition. Freshman Mirko Zapletal and Flavio Mollinedo both won in straight sets and sophomore Rudolf Siwy won 6-4, 6-2.
Sunday̢۪s victory improves Fresno State̢۪s record to 7-7 as the Bulldogs attempt to mold their young talent and make a strong post-season run.
“We’ve got three freshmen in the lineup,� Udwadia said. “We’ll take any chance to get more match play and more mental toughness.�
Udwadia said the team is beginning to jell together and with continued improvement, the Bulldogs will be a tough out in the WAC and NCAA Championships.
If Sunday was any indication, the Bulldogs growing talent pool could pose a formidable threat to several teams the rest of the season.
