Atherton, CA- Menlo Men's Tennis battled in a back and forth, down to the final set competition with the Hope International Royals. The score would be tied 3-3 with the match coming down to the final few points of the day's last singles match. While Menlo was unable to defeat the Royals it was an outstanding display of endurance and competition.

Starting Off Strong

After struggling in the doubles matches against Westcliff the day before, the Oaks rebounded nicely and won the doubles portion of the competition. Ruben Russwurm and Angel Roldan won in convincing fashion with a 6-2 victory. Luis Hochenauer and his partner David Mulas Zelenskaya were also victorious but in a much closer match. Eventually they would prevail with a score of 7-6 to give the Oaks the overall victory in the doubles, winning two sets to one.

Down to the Final Set

Once the singles matches got underway both HIU and Menlo would exchange victories. Hochenauer and Mulas Zelenskaya both won their singles matches without much resistance. Hochenauer would win his sets 6-2 and 6-1. Mulas Zelenskaya was even more dominant, winning 6-2 and 6-0. Yet, HIU refused to go quietly, winning three singles matches to tie the overall score 3-3. The entire match would come down to freshman Ruben Russwurm versus HIU's junior Yazid Benchegra. The two players would exchange sets coming down to the third and final set. Unfortunately, Benchegra was able to hold on and secure the win for the Royals.

Up Next…

While it did not translate to a victory, Menlo played well across a variety of doubles and singles sets. The Oaks will be traveling across the bay to take on Holy Names next Friday. The team will look to build upon their positive takeaways to secure a win against the Hawks!