Western Wayne Today

Wayne State University's men's tennis team emerged victorious in their opening Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) match, defeating Davenport University 6-1. The match, which took place in Detroit, marked Wayne State's improvement to a 10-4 overall season record and 1-0 in conference play.

The team, ranked No. 18, proved strong in doubles, winning all three matches to secure the doubles point. The partnership of Cedric Drenth and George Day excelled in the No. 1 position, defeating Simone Pacciolla and Reuben Bakker with a score of 6-3. Sam Knowles and Tom Wasner also triumphed in the No. 2 spot with a 6-4 win over Carlos Henriquez and Jaden Bender. Benjamin Hill and Luis Klaus completed the doubles sweep by taking down Rudiger Desselberg and Daniel Calver 6-2 in the No. 3 position.

In singles, Cedric Drenth added another victory by defeating Simone Pacciolla 6-3, 6-2, marking his 100th career singles win. Drenth is now the second athlete in Wayne State's history to achieve over 100 wins in singles, joining Niklas Karcz.

Tom Wasner and Benjamin Hill were successful in the No. 3 and No. 4 spots. Wasner secured a 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 win, and Hill won 4-6, 6-1, 6-3. Sam Knowles and Luis Klaus rounded out the scoring, with Knowles winning 6-3, 6-2 against Henriquez and Klaus defeating Dusselberg 6-2, 6-4 in the No. 6 match. George Day was the only Wayne State player defeated that day, losing to Calver in No. 2 singles, 6-0, 1-6, 3-6.

Head Coach Bryan Morrow expressed satisfaction with the team's performance, particularly highlighting their aggressive and well-executed play in doubles and singles. He praised Drenth's performance and singles energy across the team, specifically mentioning the efforts of Wasner, Hill, Knowles, and Klaus.

Wayne State's next match is set for March 29, where they will face Grand Valley State University at home, starting at 10:00 AM.