The Arizona men’s tennis team gets back into the swing of things this weekend, while the women’s team starts their new season. Both teams will play at the LaNelle Robson Tennis Center in Tucson for the first double-homestand of this tennis season.
Men’s tennis
The men’s team, which is 3-1 on the season — the only loss coming on the road to the nationally ranked Sooners of the University of Oklahoma — look to extend their early season from Friday, Jan 26, at 12 p.m. when they face the University of San Francisco.
The second match of the weekend for the men’s team is against another West Coast Conference school in Saint Mary’s, which will take place on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. That game will round out the men’s portion of the weekend.
The men’s team looks to build on the solid momentum that is being made during non-conference play, with freshman Carlos Hassey, who was a two-time State Champion out of Shadow Ridge High School in Surprise, Arizona.
He was a five-star recruit according to various tennis recruiting outlets, and the No. 63 prospect in all of America. Hassey turned down scholarship offers from California tennis powerhouses to stay in-state and establish Arizona as challenger to the traditional mold.
Transfer student Jonas Maier, from Hamburg, Germany, who played under current Arizona head coach Clancy Shields during his time at Utah State, is also looking to contribute to the upward trajectory and positive change of culture for the men’s team. He will be leading a team that is filled to the brim with elite talent from all across the globe with players from Spain, Sweden, Mexico, Georgia, Finland and South Africa, among others.
Women’s tennis
The Wildcats look to start the season on the right foot as they open with multiple home matches that can build momentum once the women’s team heads back out on the road in mid-February.
They will be busier this weekend than their male counterparts, opening their season with an early morning match against in-state rival Northern Arizona at 9 a.m. This game will be the first part of their Friday double-header, which will be rounded out by their match with Boise State at 2:30 p.m.
The women will also have a Sunday match-up with regional up-and-comer Utah State, which kicks off at 11 a.m. Arizona looks to build on their strong home presence from last season, where they went 9–5 at the LaNelle Robson Center.
Freshman Gitte Heynemans, who is from Hofstade, Belgium, will make her Wildcat debut. She is the latest European prospect that women’s coach Vicky Maes has been able to lure to Tucson, over other tennis powers like Alabama and Florida State.
Senior Devin Chypyha, who hails from Toronto, Canada, looks to start her senior year with a bang. This season, she steps into the role of a leader as one of the more experienced players on the squad.
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