PORTLAND, Ore. – Freshmen tandem Antoine Bechmann and Ian Risenhoover scored the team's biggest win of the year, downing the No. 57 doubles team of Michel Hu Kwo and Jackson Martin, 8-6, but the squad as a whole fell to the Portland Pilots, 6-1, in Portland, Ore., on Friday afternoon. The Vikings took the doubles point against the Pilots but faltered in singles play, as the team dropped to 4-8, 0-3 this season.

Portland State found itself on the winning side of a close doubles contest as the all three duos came out strong. The Pilots secured the first victory of the match as Alex Ferrero and Gill Ratan outlasted the team of Stratton Gilmore and Brent Wheeler, 8-6, to go up 1-0.

That lead didn't last long however as the newly reunited team of Abhinav Mishra and Alec Marx evened the doubles point up at 1-1 recording a 8-6 victory of their own, defeating Justin Guay and Kent Andreasen.

Meanwhile on court No. 2 an upset was brewing as the team of Bechmann and Risenhoover found themselves leading Hu Kwo and Martin, late in the match. With the contest knotted up at 6-6, the PSU tandem was able to grind out two-straight games to clinch he match at 8-6 and take the doubles point.

With the 1-0 lead in the dual, Portland State turned to its singles play to clinch its fifth win of the year.

The Pilots took control early on quickly defeating Wil Cochrane in the No. 2 spot as Hu Kwo downed the freshman, 6-1, 6-0 to make it 1-1.

Portland next tallied victories on courts No. 1 and No. 3 as Bechmann and Stratton Gilmore fell to Gill and Ferrero, respectively. Bechmann was defeated 6-3, 6-2, while Gilmore fell, by two-straight, 6-3, sets.

With the score at 3-1, there was no room for error for PSU as the final three singles players had begun their matches.

The Pilots eventually sealed the dual match on court No. 5, as Martin got the best of former high school classmate, Wheeler, 6-3, 6-0, pushing the dual score to 4-1.

Portland added to the lead at the No. 6 spot as Mishra fell to Andreasen, 6-3, 6-4, making it 5-1.

At the No. 4 position, Connor Gilmore was battling for PSU's first singles victory of the afternoon. After dropping a close first set, 7-5, he was entrenched in a battle in the second frame. The senior had forced a second-set tiebreaker, but was eventually edged, 8-6, to give the Pilots a clean sweep in singles play.

The Viks will finish up their weekend on Sunday, when the team hosts Pacific at Club Green Meadows in Vancouver, Wash. The match is slated for a 1 p.m. start.  
 

Singles competition

1. GILL, Ratan (UP) def. BECHMANN, Antoine (PSU) 6-3, 6-2

2. HU KWO, Michel (UP) def. COCHRANE, Wil (PSU) 6-1, 6-0

3. FERRERO, Alex (UP) def. GILMORE, Stratton (PSU) 6-3, 6-3

4. GUAY, Justin (UP) def. GILMORE, Connor (PSU) 7-5, 7-6 (8-6)

5. MARTIN, Jackson (UP) def. WHEELER, Brent (PSU) 6-3, 6-0

6. ANDREASEN, Kent (UP) def. MISHRA, Abhinav (PSU) 6-3, 6-4

 

Doubles competition

1. FERRERO, Alex/GILL, Ratan (UP) def. GILMORE, Stratton/WHEELER, Brent (PSU) 8-6

2. BECHMANN, Antoine/RISENHOOVER, Ian (PSU) def. HU KWO, Michel/MARTIN, Jackson (UP) 8-6

3. MISHRA, Abhinav/MARX, Alec (PSU) def. GUAY, Justin/ANDREASEN, Kent (UP) 8-6

 

Match Notes

Portland State 4-8, 0-3

Portland 7-3, 1-0

Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (2,1,3,5,6,4)