Sept. 25, 2011
DES MOINES, Iowa —The University of Iowa men’s tennis team had three players finish undefeated in singles at the Drake Invitational and concluded the tournament with a 10-1 mark in singles play.
“I’m really pleased with all four guys that played for us, and the results revealed just how well they played,” said head coach Steve Houghton.
Junior Garret Dunn, senior Christopher Speer and freshman Matt Hagan each went 3-0 in singles play for the Black and Gold.
After a victory in the Flight B singles main draw, Dunn moved to Flight C to avoid playing a fellow teammate in Flight B where Speer and Hagan were playing. Dunn won the Flight C championship with two victories on Sunday. Dunn defeated Creighton’s Lorenz Laurel 6-4, 6-3 in the semifinals, and then knocked off Drake’s Grant Tesmer 6-1, 6-4 in the finals to claim the crown.
Speer and Hagan each won two matches in Flight B on Saturday and won their semifinals match on Sunday. Speer defeated Creighton’s Sean Mathison 1-6, 6-1, 6-2. Hagan knocked off Drake’s Alen Salibasic 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-3. The Flight B main draw finals match between Speer and Hagan was not contested.
Junior Connor Gilmore went 1-1 in the Flight B main draw for Iowa with a opening round victory over Marcel Gyswyt.
Gilmore and Hagan finished 2-1 in the Flight B doubles main draw with two consecutive wins on Friday. The duo fell in the finals match on Saturday.
Dunn and Speer won their first match in the Flight A doubles main draw but fell short in the second round. The Hawkeyes finished 3-2 in doubles to go along with their 10-1 record in singles.
With the men’s tennis team also having another successful tournament at the Baylor-HEB Invitational, Houghton had positive reviews about the weekend’s performances.
“This is one of the best fall weekends we’ve had that I can remember in recent years with our results at Drake and Baylor,” said Houghton.
The Hawkeyes will be back in action from Oct. 1-3 at the ITA All-American in Tulsa, Okla.
Drake Invitational Sunday Results
Flight C Singles Main Draw
Garret Dunn (IOWA) def. Lorenz Laurel (Creighton) 6-4, 6-3
Garret Dunn (IOWA) def. Grant Tesmer (Drake) 6-1, 6-4
Flight B Singles Main Draw
Christopher Speer (IOWA) def. Sean Mathison (Creighton) 1-6, 6-1, 6-2
Matt Hagan (IOWA) def. Alen Salibasic (Drake) 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-3