SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Hermont Legaspi defeated the 23rd-ranked player in NCAA Div. I, and Mark Keki held on for a marathon win to lead Sacramento State to a 4-3 victory over Saint Mary's on Friday at the Campus Tennis Courts.
Legaspi was one of four Hornets to record singles victories as he downed No. 23 Damon Kesaris, 6-4, 6-4, at No. 1. The win marked the highest ranked opponent defeated by a Sacramento State player since Kiryl Harbatsiuk beat No. 22 Sebastian Fanselow of Pepperdine on April 9, 2011. Legaspi has now defeated a ranked opponent two years in a row as he knocked off No. 43 Jack Davis of Washington last season.
While Leagspi's victory played a pivotal role in the win, it was Keki who went the distance with James Watt in the No. 2 singles match before winning 7-5, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-2). That win snapped a 3-3 tie and clinched the victory for Sacramento State. Once again, the Hornets used four freshmen in today's singles lineup, and three of those players - Keki, Liam Liles and Jan Silva - were victorious.
"Our guys really believe in one another, fight hard for each other, and that was apparent today," Sacramento State head men's tennis coach Kevin Kurtz said. "They practice hard, give 100 percent on every point, and deserved this win. Hermont played amazing. We are young, but getting better every match we play."
Saint Mary's took an early lead with a win in doubles. The Gaels' duo of Matis Bot and Caelen Potts won, 6-3, at No. 3 before Liles/Keki tied doubles play with a 7-6 (7-3) win at No. 1. With the point in the balance, James Watt and Boris Reckow needed a tie-break to down Legaspi and Michael Vizcarra, 7-6 (7-4), to put the Gaels on top 1-0.
Once in singles play, Liles evened the match with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Felipe Rincon at No. 4. Fabian Rosendorf swung the lead back to Saint Mary's with his win in straight sets at No. 3, only to have Legaspi pull the upset at No. 1 to knot the match at 2-2.
The Gaels, once again, moved ahead with a 6-4, 6-1, win at No. 5 from Karlo Divkovic over Rudolfs Aksenoks. Needing to win the final two matches to claim the team win, Sacramento State turned to Silva at No. 6 where the freshman earned a 7-5, 6-3 win. That tied the contest at 3-3, and all eyes turned to the Keki-Watt duel at No. 2 which was the only match to extend to three sets.
These same two teams will meet against next Friday, March 12, at 1 p.m. as Sacramento State continues its 12-match homestead to start the season.
Sacramento State 4, Saint Mary's 3
Mar 05, 2021 at Sacramento, Calif. (Campus Tennis Courts)
Singles competition
1. Legaspi, Hermont (SAC) def. #23 Damon Kesaris (SMC) 6-4, 6-4
2. Keki, Mark (SAC) def. James Watt (SMC) 7-5, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-2)
3. Fabian Roensdorf (SMC) def. Vizcarra, Michael (SAC) 6-0, 6-1
4. Liles, Liam (SAC) def. Felipe Rincon (SMC) 6-3, 6-2
5. Karlo Divkovic (SMC) def. Aksenoks, Rudolfs (SAC) 6-4, 6-1
6. Silva, Jan (SAC) def. Matis Bot (SMC) 7-5, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Liles, Liam/Keki, Mark (SAC) def. Damon Kesaris/Fabian Roensdorf (SMC) 7-6 (7-3)
2. James Watt/Boris Reckow (SMC) def. Legaspi, Hermont/Vizcarra, Michael (SAC) 7-6 (7-4)
3. Matis Bot/Caelen Potts (SMC) def. Silva, Jan/Aksenoks, Rudolfs (SAC) 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (4,3,1,5,6,2)
