SEATTLE – The Huskies dispatched visiting Gonzaga from the Nordstrom Tennis Center tonight with a 6-1 victory, taking the doubles point and five singles matches in a sharp performance. Washington (6-4) won its third-straight match at home, getting the clincher from Cesar Bouchelaghem on the top court.
In doubles, Jim Hendrikx and Han-Chih Lin struck first with a 6-3 victory on court three. Then 13th-ranked Dzianis Zharyn and Cesar Bouchelaghem put the point away with a 6-2 win at No. 1 over Trkulja/Hollingworth. Nedim Suko and Brett Pearson were even at 4-4 on court two when the point was suspended.
“Our goal was to come out early in doubles with the same intensity from first point to last, and come out strong, and they did that,” said Head Coach Rahim Esmail.
In singles play, Dzianis Zharyn was first to finish as he took a 6-4 first set over Matthew Hollingworth then didn’t drop a game in the second, blanking Hollingworth for the first singles point.
Freshman Ivan Sodan was rock solid at No. 5 singles, earning a 6-1, 6-2 win over Oscar Rashed to make it 3-0 Dawgs. Bouchelaghem then clinched the victory with the fourth point, taking a 7-2 tiebreak in the second set for a 6-2, 7-6 (2) decision over Sasha Trkulja.
From there the Dawgs expanded the lead as Han-Chih Lin completed a sixth-straight victory, 6-4, 6-2, over Leon Roider at No. 3 singles. The final two matches went to 10-point tiebreaks in lieu of full third sets. Brett Pearson dominated his super-tiebreak, 10-1, to make it 6-0. Gonzaga earned the final point, with Nedim Suko coming up just short in a 10-8 tiebreak at No. 4 singles to Pablo Gomez Galvan.
“The overall score is 6-1 but it was not easy,” said Esmail. “Gonzaga has a lot of guys that make it tricky for you, and it was a challenging match and we had to weather some spots in the first sets, and buckle in and win some 4-all games or hold serve to win sets, or break to win sets. They have a very experienced No. 1 and No. 2 who have played a lot of college matches, so we had to work for everything we got today.”
The Dawgs are off next week then wrap up the four-match homestand with their first Pac-12 opponent of the year, as Oregon comes in on Mar. 7 for a non-conference dual at 5 p.m.
Washington Men’s Tennis
February 25, 2024
Seattle, Wash. | Nordstrom Tennis Center
#57 Washington – 6
Gonzaga – 1
Singles
1. Cesar Bouchelaghem (UW) def. Sasha Trkulja (GU) – 6-2, 7-6 (2)
2. Dzianis…
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