Utah State's men's tennis starts homestand with a 4-3 loss

LOGAN — After a hard fight, the Utah State men’s tennis team fell to Montana State, 4-3, Thursday at the Logan Sports Academy and Racquet Club, to spoil USU’s home opener.

Play got started with junior Sven Poslusny and freshman Marcus Fritz leading the way in doubles action with an 8-2 win over Diego Campos and Alberto Fuentes. Freshman Curran Wearmouth and junior Lenny Whiting fell to Niklas Brandes and Markus Schleuter by the same score. Freshman Matt Sweet and senior Nate Ballam won the team doubles point with an 8-3 victory over Lander Jewett and Prithiv Sivasubraniam.

Singles play was full of tough completion, a lot of which ended in heartbreak. Poslusny fell to Brandes in three sets (6-7, 6-0, 4-6), while Sweet lost to Schleuter in two sets (3-6, 4-6). Fritz defeated Fuentes in a quick two sets (6-3, 6-2).

The major action of the day was provided by Wearmouth and his three-and-a-half hour match against Campos. After fighting cramps and fatigue, Campos pulled out the win, (5-7, 7-6, 6-7).

Whiting defeated Sivasubraniam in a hard-fought three sets (6-7, 6-4, 6-1) while Ballam fell in two, (4-6, 6-7).

The Aggies continue their stretch of home matches this Saturday, playing host to Portland State, USU’s second Big Sky Conference opponent in as many matches. Action gets underway at 10 a.m. (MT) at the Logan Sports Academy and Racquet Club.

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Montana State 4, Utah State 3

Singles competition 1. Niklas Brandes (MSU) def. Sven Poslusny (USU), 7-6, 6-0,6-4 2. Markus Schleuter (MSU) def. Matt Sweet (USU), 6-3, 6-4 3. Marcus Fritz (USU) def. Alberto Fuentes (MSU), 6-3, 6-2 4. Diego Campos (MSU) def. Curran Wearmouth (USU), 7-5, 7-6, 7-6 5. Lenny Whiting (USU) def. Prithiv Sivasubraniam (MSU), 7-6, 6-4, 6-1 6. Martiu-Marilles (MSU) def. Nate Ballam (USU), 6-4, 7-6

Doubles competition 1. Sven Poslusny/Marcus Fritz (USU) def. Diego Campos/Alberto Fuentes (MSU), 8-2 2. Niklas Brandes/Markus Schleuter (MSU) def. Curran Wearmouth/Lenny Whiting (USU), 2-8 3. Matt Sweet/Nate Ballam (USU) def. Lander Jewett/Prithiv Sivasubraniam (MSU), 8-3

Doug Hoffman is the assistant athletic director for Utah State University Athletic Media Relations.