TOPEKA, Kan. -- No. 38 Washburn men's tennis (9-4) won its first match since returning home, picking up a 4-3 win over Harding (7-7) on Thursday afternoon. The Ichabods return to conference play on Saturday hosting No. 16 Northwest Missouri State beginning at 1 p.m.
Washburn picked up its second win in a row beginning with two quick wins in doubles play. No. 29 ranked Santiago Rendon and Tim Hammes worked quickly to secure a 6-1 win at No. 2. Daniel Bird and Yoshinobu Nakatsuji followed with a 6-4 win on court three to secure the point for the Ichabods. No. 21 Miquel Perez and Sebastian Pjontek trailed narrowly 5-4 when the match was left unfinished at No. 1.
Just like in doubles, No. 55 Hammes secured quick victory in singles as well, winning 6-0, 6-1 over No. 16 ranked Dani Ortiz putting Washburn up 2-0. Sebastian Pjontek followed at No. 2 with a two-set win of his own by scores of 6-4, 6-3.
The Bisons got a point on court six with Daniel Harkin falling just short in set one 7-6(5) and losing 6-4 in the second set. Bird didn't leave the match up to chance, after losing the first set 6-4 he won the next two sets both 6-3 to clinch the match for the Ichabods from No. 4.
At No. 5 Moritz Pieper had two long sets that went into tiebreakers, he came up short in both falling 7-6(5) and 7-6(7). Rendon lost his first set 6-3 at No. 3 but bounced back with a 6-2 win in the second, he fell in the third 6-1 with the match already in hand for Washburn, making it 4-3.
Doubles play:
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Mikkelsen, Cian/de Ruiter, Cas (HU) vs Perez, Miquel/Pjontek, Sebastian (WU) 5-4, uf
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Rendon, Santiago/Hammes, Tim (WU) def. Ortiz, Dani/Urquiola, Andres (HU) 6-1
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Bird, Daniel/Nakatsuji, Yoshinobu (WU) def. Van Vreden, Jaydon/Walker, Bryce (HU) 6-4
Order of finish: 2, 3
Singles play:
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Hammes, Tim (WU) def. Ortiz, Dani (HU) 6-0, 6-1
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Pjontek, Sebastian (WU) def. De Ruiter, Cas (HU) 6-4, 6-3
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Mikkelsen, Cian (HU) def. Rendon, Santiago (WU) 6-3, 2-6, 6-1
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Bird, Daniel (WU) def. Walker, Bryce (HU) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
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D'Arrigo, Edoardo (HU) def. Pieper Moritz (WU) 7-6(5), 7-6(7)
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Van Vreden, Jaylon (HU) def. Harkin, Daniel (WU) 7-6(5), 6-4
Order of finish: 1, 2, 6, 4, 5, 3
