Freshman started season at the bottom of the ladder and worked his way to the top.
The Fresno State men’s tennis team had an overhaul heading into the spring season.
The Bulldogs were thin — and their four-man roster felt a gaping hole in depth left from last season’s dense senior class.
Fresno State coach Evan Austin took the international route and brought in freshmen Felipe Fritz and Nikolas Papic — both natives from Santiago, Chile — to bring in some much-needed bodies.
And with the move came one of the season’s developments — and surprises.
That surprise came in the emergence of Fritz at the top of the Bulldogs’ singles ladder.
Fritz played his first match at the top spot on March 27 against Texas A&M’s Vitor Manzini, a three-set road loss.
Fritz grabbed his first win at the No. 1 spot on the road against Air Force’s Lance Wilhelm in three sets, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.
Fritz and the Bulldogs (7-15, 2-3 MWC) will close out the regular season Saturday on the road against UNLV before competing in the April 25-28 Mountain West Conference Championships.
“It was a target that I put on myself,” Fritz said. “I started playing [on court No. 6]. My target was, before this semester, to be playing [on court No. 1]. I reached that a couple of weeks ago.”
“I won at No. 1 at Air Force. That’s given me a lot of confidence, and I don’t want to go back again, so I have to practice to keep going.”
“I keep getting better and better, and I work with the coach and there are things that I have to do, but I especially have to play more, keep winning like I was doing. That’s it.”
The decision to play at Fresno State — thousands of miles away — was not an easy one to make.
But Fritz wasn’t alone in his journey. Papic, Fritz’s long-time friend, was also recruited by Austin to play for theBulldogs this season.
Fritz and Papic have partnered up in doubles play the past five matches and are 3-3 this season — their most decisive doubles win coming in an 8-0 sweep against Willamette’s Will Cooper and Devin Abney.
“I decided to come with my friend Niko so I don’t have to stay alone,” Fritz said. “That was the main reason that I came here.
“He’s my best friend.”
But it is Fritz’s rise atop the singles ladder that has been a season delight in a year full of youth and development.
Fritz, who has the Bulldogs’ longest win streak in singles play this season at seven matches, started his gradual rise to the top of the ladder in a three-set win against Sacramento State’s Roy Brandys at the No. 4 spot.
Fritz — who has a team-best record of 12-6 in singles play — won the match in three sets.
Two matches later, he teetered back to the No. 5 spot.
And then he went back to the 4-spot against Washington’s Emmett Egger. And then up to the 3-spot after that, this time against Purdue’s Diego Acosta.
Then he advanced to the No. 2 spot in matches against Iowa’s Garrett Dunn and Willamette’s Sam Wexman.
All of those were wins.
“He’s done a good job in his last 12 matches or so after he got through some tough ones in the beginning,” Austin said. “Just showing up to battle and understand the team aspect of things and what college tennis is all about.
“I feel pretty confident when he goes out there; that we’re going to get a great effort from him and knowing he’s not going to back down from anyone.
“He’s been doing a good job,” Austin said.