ST. PETER, Minn. – The No. 16-ranked Gustavus men’s tennis team hosts its home opener Saturday with a pair of non-league matches. The Gusties take on Morningside at 9 a.m. and then Luther at 6 p.m. at the Swanson Tennis Center. A split squad travels to Saint Mary’s for a 6 p.m. match to open the conference schedule.
Both matches at the Swanson Tennis Center will be live streamed.
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Last time out: The Gusties went 1-3 during their season opening trip to Florida. The Black and Gold started with a 7-2 win over Southeastern, followed by losses to Palm Beach Atlantic (6-3), Florida Tech (9-0), and Division II No. 7-ranked Saint Leo (7-2). Mohanad Alhouni (Sr., Tripoli, Libya) had a good opening week, going 1-1 in singles and winning both doubles matches by 8-3 decisions with partner Patrick Whaling (Jr., Manikob Sabot, Va.). Alhouni defeated Pato Zarazua of Palm Beach in three sets, followed by a 6-1, 6-3 loss to Thomas Grinberg of Saint Leo, who ranks No. 3 in Division II. The senior No. 1 singles standout enters this weekend with an 11-3 overall record.
Scouting the opponents: Morningside enters the match with a 1-3 record, most recently falling 9-0 at Augustana. The Mustangs’ lone win came against Buena Vista in the fall. Luther started its spring season with a 5-4 win against Augustana-Rock Island and a 9-0 sweep over Monmouth College in Moline, Ill. last Saturday. Saint Mary’s is 2-3, most recently defeating Wartburg 8-1 on Sunday. The Cardinals’ three losses came against Carleton, Carthage, and Bethel.