MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES MEN’S TENNIS PLAYER AND DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK
MAC Men’s Tennis Singles Player of the Week
Jannik Opitz, Western Michigan – Senior, Hildesheim, Germany (Josephinum Hildesheim)
Western Michigan senior Jannik Opitz at No. 1 singles went 2-0 last weekend, helping the Broncos earn two wins on the road. He defeated Diego Le Gal Perez from Illinois State in straight sets on Saturday (6-1, 6-4). Against Valparaiso on Sunday, Jannik beat the reigning Summit League Player of the Year in Brandon Ancona (6-4, 3-6, 6-2).
Additional Men’s Singles Nominees:
Vince Orlando, Ball State – Freshman, Lansing, Mich. (Home Schooled)
Ball State freshman Vince Orlando at No. 2 singles went 2-0 in singles play and doubles action this past weekend over Michigan State and Niagara University. Orlando won at the top spot in doubles against the Spartans, 6-1. He then earned the straight set take down on court four in singles over Michigan State’s Jarreau Campell, 6-2, 6-4. He went on to win both his matches again in the Cardinals afternoon match against Niagara University. Orlando won at No. 1 doubles 6-3 and then defeated Jorge Sedeno at No. 2 singles, 6-0, 7-5, helping the Cardinals to a 5-0 victory.
Krzysztof Wetoszka, Toledo – Freshman, Szczecin, Poland (Saint Maksymilian Maria Kolbe Catholic)
Toledo freshman Krzysztof Wetoszka at No. 3 singles went 2-1 over the weekend, posting singles victories against Wright State and Dayton. Friday morning, Wetoszka defeated Wright State’s Leighton Brandon in two sets, 6-3, 7-6(3), helping the Rockets defeat the Raiders, 6-1. In Friday’s evening session against Dayton, Wetoszka battled Matt DeMarco in three sets, dropping the first 3-6, before bouncing back 7-5 in the second and 6-4 in the third. Wetoszka’s three-set win over DeMarco clinched the Rockets’ 4-3 victory over the Flyers.
MAC Men’s Tennis Doubles Team of the Week
Jannik Opitz, Western Michigan – Senior, Hildesheim, Germany (Josephinum Hildesheim)
Kennosuke Nouchi, Western Michigan – Senior, Kashima Japan (Kashima Gakuen)
Western Michigan senior’s Jannik Opitz and Kennosuke Nouchi at No. 1 doubles teamed up on Sunday to defeat Brandon Ancona and Brian Pecyna from Valparaiso 6-4. Their victory clinched the doubles point for the Broncos, who would go on to beat the Crusaders by a 4-3 score. Opitz also won at No. 1 doubles on Saturday against Illinois State, beating Diego Le Gal Perez and Jorge Bartra with Bronco sophomore Peter Kuszynski. Nouchi joined junior Zac Faveri on that same day to defeat Melker Isaksson and Brandon Lew at No. 3 doubles.
Additional Men’s Doubles Teams of the Week Nominees:
Chris Adams, Ball State – Junior, Port Huron, Mich. (Port Huron Northern High School)
Vince Orlando, Ball State – Freshman, Lansing, Mich. (Homeschool)
Ball State junior Chris Adams and freshman Vince Orlando at No. 1 doubles secured the doubles point for the Cardinals at Michigan State on Saturday after defeating John Carlin and Anthony Pero by a score of 6-1. The twosome then continued to remain undefeated on Saturday after clinching the doubles point again on court one against Niagara University. Adams and Orlando took down Josh Wilson and Darrel Harxhi by a score of 6-3, helping the Cardinals win the match 5-0.
Kristopher Ortega, Northern Illinois – Junior, Homer Glen, Ill. (Seton Home Study)
Shao-Yu Yu, Northern Illinois – Senior, Taipei, Taiwan (Jiang Guo High School)
Northern Illinois junior Kristopher Ortega and senior Shao-Yu Yu at No. 3 doubles posted a 2-1 record for the week as the duo improved to 3-1 in dual matches this season. Ortega and Yu opened the week with a 6-2 victory over Gonzaga’s Oliver Andersson and Kyle Everly on Monday, Jan. 20. The Huskie pair then downed Lucas Percy and Chuck Tang of North Dakota, 7-6, as the Huskies beat the Fighting Hawks, 5-2, on Saturday, Jan. 25, before falling to Wisconsin’s Lenard Soha and Jesper Freimuth, 6-1, on Sunday, Jan. 26.
