Men’s Tennis Remains Undefeated At Home With Two Wins
University of Utah Junior Russell Benkaim during NCAA Tennis match against Utah State at the George S. Eccles Tennis Center in Salt Lake City, Utah on Saturday, Fed. 7, 2020. (Photo by Tom Denton | The Daily Utah Chronicle)
February 8, 2020
The University of Utah men’s tennis team remained perfect at home this season with wins against Utah State and Idaho State. The Utes looked as strong as ever as they dominated both of their opponents on Friday afternoon. The first was a 6-1 victory over Utah State University and then a relentless 4-0 win against Idaho State University. With these victories, the Utes continue their win streak and are now 7-2 on season with an impressive 7-0 record at home.
Men vs. Utah State
The Utes began the day with an in-state matchup against Utah State early on Friday afternoon. The matches began with each side taking a victory as Slava Shainyan and Azat Hankuliyev won one for the Utes, but the Aggies answered right back. Fortunately for the Utes, it would be smooth sailing from that point on as the team would receive wins from Wally Thayne, Paul McCallie, Russell Benkaim and Franco Capalbo. All these victories would add up to a 6-1 victory and a great start to the day for the Utes.
Men vs. Idaho State
Utah continued to fire on all cylinders against Idaho State as they swept the Bengals 4-0. In doubles, Hankuliyev/Shainyan and Randy Cory/Benkaim started things off strong for the Utes as they both won their sets 6-4 to put the Utes up 1-0. The Utes wouldn’t look back from that point on as Benkaim and Thayne won their games quickly and in complete command. The Utes took care of business as they finished off the day with two wins and remained undefeated at home.
A Look at the Week Ahead
The men’s team will now go on a two game road trip as they face Colorado on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 5 p.m. in Denver. There, they will face the University of Denver, who has been looking good as of late with wins against Northern Colorado and Utah State. Following that, the Utes will head to Albuquerque, New Mexico on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 1 p.m. to face off against New Mexico State and wrap up their week on the road.
The women’s team has had some well-deserved time off as they haven’t played since Jan. 26, where they suffered a loss to Ole Miss. This next week they will be back on the road in California with games at UC Irvine on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 12 p.m. and at Loyola Marymount on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 12 p.m.
