The Idaho Vandals men’s tennis team has had a tough start to the season heading into this past Sunday’s home opener at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome. The Vandals split their doubleheader, dropping a close 4-3 battle to the University of North Dakota before rolling to a dominant 7-0 win over George Fox University.
North Dakota
Coming into the match, the Vandals were 0-4 and searching for their first win of the season. Idaho started strong as junior Mikolaj Lis and freshman Sander Paradis defeated the duo of sophomore Leo Galliano and junior Kotaro Matsumura 6-1, giving the Vandals an early edge.
North Dakota rebounded when freshmean Justin Ilic and Darrshan Suresh Kumar defeated senior Chetanna Amadike and sophomore Gabriel Moroder 6-4.
Idaho regained momentum behind sophomores Paul Janson and Eric Wang, who defeated senior Alex Christos and junior Walker Valentine 6-1 to claim the doubles point and give the Vandals a 1-0 lead.
In singles play, North Dakota rattled off two straight wins. Galliano defeated Amadike 6-3, 7-6, and Suresh Kumar defeated Lis 7-6, 6-2 to take a 2-1 lead.
Janson tied the match with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Ilic. The teams traded wins as Matsumura defeated Paradis 6-2, 6-4, and Moroder defeated Valentine 6-3, 6-4 to knot the match at 3-3.
In the deciding match, North Dakota’s Christos defeated freshman Xavier Martin Roca 6-4, 6-2 to secure the 4-3 victory.
George Fox
After the tough loss, the Vandals had little time to regroup before facing George Fox in search of their first win of the season.
Idaho swept all three doubles matches. Lis and Paradis defeated seniors Ikuho Ebisu and Keita Shoji 7-6. Amadike and Moroder defeated junior Zach Moore and freshman Aiden Cruz 6-3. Janson and Wang defeated seniors Luis Hernandez and Joseph Vece 6-2 to claim the doubles point.
In singles, the Vandals won all six matches. Amadike defeated Moore 6-3, 6-1. Lis defeated Shoji 6-1, 1-0 (retired). Martin Roca topped Hernandez 6-4, 6-4. Sophomore Noe De Col rolled to a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Cruz. Wang defeated Vece 6-1, 6-1. Finally, freshman Valentin Glasl defeated junior Bernardo Martinez 6-0, 6-2 to put the Vandals in the win column.
Idaho, led by head coach Raleigh Grossbaum, is a young team full of energy and potential but also features experienced players in Lis and Amadike.
Amadike, a transfer from Alabama A&M, is looking for a breakout season. Along with Lis, he leads a team picked fourth in the Big Sky Conference preseason media poll.
Idaho will look to build on the win over George Fox and gain momentum before Big Sky play begins. The Vandals return to the P1FCU Kibbie Dome this weekend to host Oral Roberts on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 10 a.m. Later that afternoon, the Vandals will welcome Lewis and Clark State College at 3 p.m.