The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

JUSTIN Roberts got one of his biggest collegiate victories on Saturday as he led the Arizona State Sun Devils men’s tennis team to their second top-25 upset of the season with a 4-2 decision over No. 25 Arizona Wildcats in Tucson.

Roberts helped the Sun Devils to push their record to 2-0 against the Wildcats since their reinstatement in 2018 and 3-0 in their last three matchups dating back to 2008.

“I thought he did an incredible job because his opponent was a tough guy to play who has great serves,” Hill said. “To see him rebound, refocus and get back on track was huge. He did an unbelievable job today.”

Roberts, 22, hooked up against No.55 Nathan Ponwith with both playing from an advantage in their third sets. Roberts came through for the Sun Devils for his sixth-straight win, charging to a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 victory to clinch the Territorial Cup Series point for the second straight season.

“I started slowly. I went down 4-1 in the first set and I decided to play my game and I ended up winning 7-5,” Roberts told The Tribune. “In the second set, my opponent played a little better. I was a little unfocused.

“But in the third set, I came out firing. I went up a break early and I got broke, but I was able to come back and close it out. It was an emotional match because we were playing against our rivals, Arizona, so it was definitely important that we won that one,” he said.

Roberts admitted that he felt a lot of pressure in his match. “It was an amazing feeling,” said Roberts about his clincher. “We lost the doubles and we fell down 3-1, so it was important for us to win the remaining singles. It was just a great feeling to be able to pull it off.”

The Sun Devils (8-10) secured their 12th doubles point of the season through their first 18 matches, already outnumbering their 2018 total with seven more regular season matches currently scheduled.

“It was a really fun match to be a part of and it was a huge win for us,” Hill said. “We’ve had a lot of adversity on and off the court, so this was a huge confidence boost for us.”

The Sun Devils are back in action on Tuesday when they take on Delaware in a mid-week matchup. They will then play three more games against Oregon on Friday and two against Washington and Grand Canyon on Sunday.