A week off from facing opponents proved to be beneficial for the No. 58 Arizona’s men’s tennis team, as its winning streak improved to six with two wins this weekend.
Yesterday Arizona easily took down No. 45 Texas A&M-Corpus Christie (2-4) by a score of 6-1. The only loss came from No. 18 singles player senior Roger Matalonga in singles to a fellow Spaniard, No. 30 sophomore Raul Morant-Rivas.
The team knocked off No. 67 Fresno State (5-2) Saturday by a score of 5-2 in a win that didn’t come as easily for Arizona.
“”It’s a good start,”” Arizona assistant coach Cory Hubbard said. “”Our main goal is to protect the home court and go into the Pacific 10 Conference undefeated.””
The weekend saw the return of senior Daniel Andrus, who had been out after sustaining an injury in the first match of the season. Andrus paired up with previous partner Matalonga for a doubles win.
“”It was exciting to feel part of the team again,”” Andrus said. “”I was able to get the nerves and jitters out.””
Even though Andrus said he isn’t 100 percent yet, he said he was prepared enough to play and wouldn’t have competed if the circumstances were different.
Big play came from senior Jeff Groslimond, who continues to defeat ranked opponents.
“”It gives me confidence,”” Groslimond said. “”A goal of mine was to make the tournament, and it’s helping me reach that goal.””
Against the Islanders, Groslimond faced a previous opponent, No. 51 sophomore Andrey Kumantsov, to whom Groslimond lost at Florida State last year.
“”Jeff played outstanding,”” Hubbard said. “”He was able to come back and beat him.””
After sweeping the Bulldogs in doubles Saturday, momentum into the singles was strong.
Yet Matalonga and sophomore Bruno Alcala competed against tough opponents and weren’t able to seal victories. Still Groslimond and sophomores Jason Labrosse and Claudio Christen picked up the pace and defeated their opponents.
Redshirt freshman Peter Zimmer finalized the win.
“”We weren’t sure how good we were, but it’s a good starting point,”” Groslimond said.
