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2
Judson JUD-M (5-4)
5
Winner Wayne State WSUM (8-5)
Judson JUD-M
(5-4)
2
Final
5
Wayne State WSUM
(8-5)
Winner
Emil Mikkelsen Posed Action
Wayne State Sports Information
Emil Mikkelsen won in both doubles (with Joe Kelt) and in singles (6-4, 6-1) vs. Judson on Thursday.

Match Recap: Men's Tennis | | Matthew Jurek, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Men's Tennis Begins Florida Spring Break Trip With 5-2 Victory Over Judson

The 13th-ranked Warriors won the first of two matches on Thursday.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Wayne State University men's tennis team (8-5 overall) kicked off the week of action in Florida with a 5-2 triumph against NAIA member Judson University (5-4 overall) on Thursday morning.  The match was held at the Oak Street Courts on the USTA National Campus.

DOUBLES
The Warriors had the opportunity to use some new combinations in doubles action, as none of the three duos played with each other this spring season prior to this match.  The new pairings fared well and won two of the three matches to pull out the first point of the morning.

Cedric Drenth (Sulzbach, Germany) was paired with Joe Steele (Beverly Hills, Mich.) at the No. 1 doubles spot.  They claimed a 6-4 win over Alexandre Verltkamp and William Barnes. It was the first doubles match of the season for the junior Steele and his first contested at the first flight. 

At No. 2 doubles, the tandem of Emil Mikkelsen (Soenderborg, Denmark) and Joe Kelt (Ilkley, West Yorkshire, England) grabbed a tie-breaking 7-6 (5) win to help WSU earn the 1-0 advantage.  For Mikkelsen, the doubles match was the first of his Wayne State career.

Playing in his first action of the spring, Ryan Okonski (Stevensville, Mich.) played with Luke Laws (Sunderland, England) at the No. 3 spot, with the two falling by a 6-2 score. 

SINGLES
Wayne State nabbed four of the six singles points to come away with the 5-2 win, with a few members of the Green and Gold playing in singles for the first or second time in 2023. 

One Warrior in a familiar place was Dom Spicer (London, England), who played at the No.1 singles spot for the 25th time in his collegiate career.  The 21st-ranked player nationally triumphed at the No. 1 spot for the first time this season in three sets (6-2, 0-6, 6-4) over Veltkamp. 

Niklas Karcz (Bottrop, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany) played at the No. 2 spot for the first time this spring and won in straight sets, 7-6 (4), 6-1, against Barnes.

Also victorious was Denali Kitayama (West Bloomfield Township, Mich.).  He looked impressive in defeating Maximilian Fortun 6-3, 6-1 at the No. 3 spot. 

Not to be outdone, Mikkelsen finished a strong morning by downing his opponent, 6-4, 6-1, in straight sets for his first singles win this campaign in his second attempt.

Steele (at the No. 4 spot) and Okonski (at the No. 6 spot) both had heartbreaking defeats after each winning 6-4 in their opening set.  Steele, playing in his second match of the spring, was handed a pair of 6-3 losses in each of the next two sets, while Okonski fell in the second set 6-1 and the third, 7-5.  The redshirt junior was in his first singles match to this point in the season. 

FROM COACH MORROW
"Good match as most everybody got a chance to play.  Proud of the guys.  First match in Florida for today and competing in Florida is always a challenge." 

UP NEXT
Wayne State will finish Thursday by playing Division III member North Carolina Wesleyan at 6:30 p.m. at the USTA National Campus.


 
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