Perfect weather and perfect play came together for the men’s tennis team on Friday at the Linda Estes Tennis Complex.
UNM beat Northern Arizona University 6-1, in a game played outside in ideal weather conditions.
“It was great playing outside,” head coach Alan Dils said. “We had great weather and we did a good job against Northern Arizona. I’m happy with how the match went.”
UNM got off to a strong start by sweeping the three doubles matches, to earn the doubles point. The highlight of the doubles was the reunion of nationally ranked pair junior Jadon Phillips and senior Phil Anderson. The pair won their match 8-2, defeating NAU’s Shaun Waters and Dominic Bermudez.
“This was my first match in a while, since I was out due to injury,” Anderson said. “I felt like I came out a little tight, but we fought through it and we fought well. I love playing with Jadon.”
The Lobos rode the wave of momentum into the singles matches, winning all but one.
In the No. 1 singles match, Phillips defeated Robin Pezzutto in two sets. The second set was tightly contested and went to a tiebreaker before Phillips was able to take it from the visibly frustrated Pezzutto, 7-6.
“My opponent played a different style than most players,” Phillips said. “He wanted to come to the net, so I tried to take that away from him. I also tried to keep him off balance. That’s how I was able to get under his skin.”
In the No. 2 match, Lobo senior Ben Dunbar defeated Waters in two sets, losing just three games during the match.
The No. 3 match was the Lobos’ only loss. Freshman Samir Iftikhar lost in three sets to Bermudez. The win extended Bermudez’s win streak to five, solidifying his position as NAU’s leading singles player.
The No. 4 match marked Anderson’s first singles match win since his return from injury. He defeated Lumberjack Robert Martin.
In the No. 5 match, UNM senior Carl Ho extended his singles winning streak to eight by defeating NAU’s Trevor Unger in two sets.
“I’m actually surprised it is only eight, because it seems like he is winning every time he is out there,” Dils said. “He is doing a fantastic job. I think he can carry this win over to San Diego State and UNLV.”
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The No. 6 match was perhaps the most one-sided of the day, as Lobo sophomore Mads Hegelund crushed Lumberjack Josh Levinson in two sets. In the two sets, Hegelund lost just two games.
The Lobos have a three-game road trip ahead of them. They play San Diego State on Friday. The team won’t play at home again until April 15 for its last home match against Boise State.
“To think that Boise State will be my last match at home … it’s hard to wrap my mind around it just yet,” Anderson said.
