Individual Spartans Open At ITA Men's Tennis Championships
11/5/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Nov. 5, 1999
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State men?s tennis team had hopes for a positve finish to its fall season. For two Spartans the season continues, while the others must take the role as cheerleaders until the spring after day one at the ITA Region IV Men?s Championships, held in Madison, Wisconsin.
Michigan State sent five players into the tournament and only two remain after the first day of competition. Ken Kigongo (Bradenton, Fla.) and Francisco Trinidad (Mexico City, Mexico) each went 2-0 in singles action to advance to the second day of play. Thirty-two individuals remain in the singles draw. The seniors are also paired in doubles action where they are seeded third. Their seeding gave them a bye in Friday?s play to automatically advance to Saturday?s action. The Spartans? other doubles team of Ivica Primorac (Mosthar, Bosnia) and Robert Topalo lost their opening round match, 8-5. Overall, MSU went 4-3 in singles and 0-1 in doubles on Friday.
The University of Wisconsin is the host for the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Region IV Men's Championships. No team scores are kept. This is the first time in the tournament's history that Wisconsin has hosted the event. The tournament is taking place at Nielsen Tennis Stadium. The tournament runs through Monday, Nov. 8. Singles champions and finalists and doubles champions of the regional will advance to the 2000 Rolex National Indoor Championships held February 3-6 in Dallas, Texas. The National Indoor Championships is the third leg of the ITA Grand Slam Tour series.
The ITA Midwest Regionals is the final competition for the Spartans this fall. They resume play January 15-17, when MSU hosts the Big Ten Championships at the Indoor Tennis Facility in East Lansing, Mich.
Singles Results 11/05/99 Harch Mankad (Minn.) def. Robert Topalo (MSU) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 Jorge Duenas (Minn.) def. Ivica Primorac (MSU) 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4 Ken Kigongo (MSU) def. Robert Kurek (DePaul) 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 Ken Kigongo (MSU) def. Martin Michalowski (Minn.) 6-4, 6-4 Laith Al-Agba (Purdue) def. Goran Topalo (MSU) 7-5, 6-2 Francisco Trinidad (MSU) def. Christopher Van Der Gucht (Marq.) 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 Francisco Trinidad (MSU) def. Jason Pressel (Ball St.) 7-6, 6-0Doubles Results 11/05/99 Rakvica/Smiley (Ind.) def. Primorac/R.Topalo (MSU) 8-5