The Portland State men’s tennis team took to the courts on Friday for a clash with their crosstown rivals, the University of Portland Pilots. The match started out well for the Vikings, as Antoine Bechmann and Ian Risenhoover squared off against the duo of Jackson Martin and Michel Hu Kwo and caught the Pilots’ 57th nationally ranked doubles team flat-footed as they notched an 8-6 victory.
Men’s tennis rebounds with a win
The Portland State men’s tennis team took to the courts on Friday for a clash with their crosstown rivals, the University of Portland Pilots. The match started out well for the Vikings, as Antoine Bechmann and Ian Risenhoover squared off against the duo of Jackson Martin and Michel Hu Kwo and caught the Pilots’ 57th nationally ranked doubles team flat-footed as they notched an 8-6 victory.
The team of Abhinav Mishra and Alec Marx followed with a win of their own, securing the match’s doubles point for Portland State. Unfortunately, the team failed to translate their success into singles play, losing what turned into a lopsided match by a score of 6-1.
Following a tough showing against the Pilots, the Vikings were able to turn things around when they hosted Division III Pacific University in a midseason tune-up on Sunday. After a four-match losing streak, the Vikings rebounded with a 6-1 victory over the Boxers. The No. 2 doubles team of Bechmann and Risenhoover claimed a win over the Boxers’ Brian Kyaw and Lorne Bulling, and the pairing of Mishra and Marx prevailed in a close match to once again claim the doubles point for PSU.
As the match progressed, the Vikings continued to overpower Pacific. PSU’s Lukas Kortus was the first to leave the court in straight-sets with a win over Bulling, and Connor and Stratton Gilmore kept the momentum going, each winning their matches at the No. 2 and No. 3 singles spots to secure a much-needed team victory for Portland State.
Although the contest was already decided, the Boxers were unwilling to give up the fight, as Pacific’s Troy Zuroske overcame Wil Cochrane at No. 1 singles, 7-5, 7-5. The remainder of the matches went to the Vikings, however, with Zach Lubek logging a 6-3, 7-6 (3) win over Brandon Schlack and Risenhoover blowing past David Yanagita 6-0, 6-1 to close out the afternoon.
Portland State now moves into a four-match stretch at home against conference opponents as they work to try and meet their goal of reaching the postseason for the first time in school history. The Vikings are currently in contention for a playoff spot and will look to get off on the right foot against the University of North Dakota on Sunday
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