
Flames Finish with 2-1 Record in Tournament at Arizona State
3/1/2025 11:25:00 PM | Men's Tennis
TEMPE, Ariz. – The Flames picked up a ranked win over No. 68 Utah State 4-1, to headline Liberty's 2-1 record at the Diablos College Invitational in Tempe, Ariz., over the weekend.
The Flames opened the event Friday with a 4-0 loss to No. 41 Arizona State, responded the next day with a 4-0 triumph over UTSA and wrapped the tournament Saturday night with the 4-1 triumph over No. 68 Utah State.
Liberty snapped a five-match losing streak on Saturday with each loss against a program currently holding an ITA national ranking.
The Flames, competing at the Diablos College Invitational for the third consecutive year, improve their record to 4-5 at the event. Liberty was matched up against hosting Arizona State for the first time in program history and at the tournament. The Flames were also facing UTSA for the second time and Utah State for the first time in program history.
Doubles was strong for the Flames at the tournament, collecting a 4-2 record. Liberty's No. 28 pair of Joaquim Almeida and Siwanat Auytayakul went 2-1 over the weekend, including a 7-5 loss to Arizona State's No. 56 pair of Bor Artnak and Matic Dimic.
Match 1 vs No. 41 Arizona State
The Flames opened the tournament against tournament host and No. 41 Arizona State. The two squads battled in doubles but the Sun Devils gained the edge despite Liberty reaching five games in two matches.
Arizona State left little doubt in singles, picking up three consecutive wins to clinch the 4-0 win including triumphs on courts six and two. The Sun Devils secured the match-winning fourth point on court one with Bor Artnak topping Joaquim Almeida, needing a first-set tiebreaker, 7-6 (2), 6-1.
Liberty won the first set on courts four and five when the match was clinched.
The Sun Devils advanced to the winners bracket while Liberty moved to the losers bracket for a meeting with UTSA.
#41 Arizona State 4, Liberty 0
Singles Competition
1. Bor Artnak (ASU) def. Joaquim Almeida (LIBERTYM) 7-6 (7-2), 6-1
2. Mathis Bondaz (ASU) def. Carl Roothman (LIBERTYM) 6-2, 6-4
3. Nicola Cigna (ASU) vs. R Santiago Arraez (LIBERTYM) 6-4, 5-3, unfinished
4. Tanner Povey (ASU) vs. Siwanat Auytayakul (LIBERTYM) 3-6, 4-4, unfinished
5. Matic Dimic (ASU) vs. Ernst Gouws (LIBERTYM) 4-6, 6-3, 1-0, unfinished
6. Roi Ginat (ASU) def. Chase Robinson (LIBERTYM) 6-3, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. #56 Bor Artnak/Matic Dimic (ASU) def. #28 Joaquim Almeida/Siwanat Auytayakul (LIBERTYM) 7-5
2. #62 Tanner Povey/Daniel Phillips (ASU) def. R Santiago Arraez/Carl Roothman (LIBERTYM) 6-3
3. Nicola Cigna/Mathis Bondaz (ASU) vs. Chase Robinson/Ernst Gouws (LIBERTYM) 6-5, unfinished
Liberty 3-7
Arizona State 6-5; National ranking #41
Order of Finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (6,2,1)
Match 2 vs. UTSA
The Flames took command of the match early with strong wins on courts one and three. Liberty was also leading 5-3 on court two when the doubles point was clinched.
Liberty sparked for three decisive victories, forfeiting a combined eight games between the No. 6, 5 and 3 singles matches. Rodrigo Santiago Arraez earned the match-clinching fourth point with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Miguel Alonso. The sophomore earned his third win and is currently unbeaten in his Liberty career playing in the No. 3 position.
Liberty 4, UTSA 0
Singles Competition
1. Joaquim Almeida (LIBERTYM) vs. #103 Tiago Torres (UTSA) 3-6, 3-4, unfinished
2. Carl Roothman (LIBERTYM) vs. Danijal Muminovic (UTSA) 7-6, 5-2, unfinished
3. R Santiago Arraez (LIBERTYM) def. Miguel Alonso (UTSA) 6-1, 6-3
4. Siwanat Auytayakul (LIBERTYM) vs. Enzo Vargas (UTSA) 6-2, 3-1, unfinished
5. Ernst Gouws (LIBERTYM) def. Santiago Flyckt (UTSA) 6-0, 6-2
6. Chase Robinson (LIBERTYM) def. Jakub Wlodarczyk (UTSA) 6-1, 6-1
Doubles Competition
1. #28 Joaquim Almeida/Siwanat Auytayakul (LIBERTYM) def. Tiago Torres/Oskar Grzegorzewski (UTSA) 6-2
2. R Santiago Arraez/Carl Roothman (LIBERTYM) vs. Miguel Alonso/Santiago Flyckt (UTSA) 5-3, unfinished
3. Ernst Gouws/Chase Robinson (LIBERTYM) def. Danijal Muminovic/Enzo Vargas (UTSA) 6-3
UTSA 4-7
Liberty 4-7
Order of Finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (6,5,3)
Match 3 vs No. 68 Utah State
Liberty concluded the weekend with a momentous 4-1 triumph over No. 68 Utah State. The Flames locked down the doubles point with victories on courts three and one. Liberty also led 5-2 on court two when the doubles point was secured.
The top of the lineup showed out in the final match of the weekend event. Joaquim Almeida pushed the lead to 2-0 with a 6-2, 6-4 win in the No. 1 singles match. The Aggies responded with a victory on court five.
Siwanat Auytakul halted a challenging losing streak with his first singles triumph since Feb. 2. The freshman bested Dimitri Goubin 7-5, 6-2 in the No. 4 singles match. Carl Roothman secured the match-winning fourth point in the No. 2 singles match. The junior topped Roman Venger 6-4, 6-2 to secure the back-to-back match victories.
Liberty 4, #68 Utah State 1
Singles Competition
1. Joaquim Almeida (LIBERTYM) def. David Martirosian (USU) 6-2, 6-4
2. Carl Roothman (LIBERTYM) def. Roman Venger (USU) 6-4, 6-2
3. Eliot Nobel (USU) vs. R Santiago Arraez (LIBERTYM) 3-6, 4-3, unfinished
4. Siwanat Auytayakul (LIBERTYM) def. Dimitri Goubin (USU) 7-5, 6-2
5. Eemil Pasanen (USU) def. Ernst Gouws (LIBERTYM) 6-1, 7-5
6. Keanu Rigby (USU) vs. Chase Robinson (LIBERTYM) 5-7, 3-4, unfinished
Doubles Competition
1. #28 Joaquim Almeida/Siwanat Auytayakul (LIBERTYM) def. David Martirosian/Eliot Nobel (USU) 6-4
2. Carl Roothman/R Santiago Arraez (LIBERTYM) def. Mohammad Alkotop/Dimitri Goubin (USU) 5-2
3. Ernst Gouws/Chase Robinson (LIBERTYM) def. Sergi Mico Fenollar/Keanu Rigby (USU) 6-2
Liberty 5-7
Utah State 6-6; National ranking #68
Order of Finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (1,5,4,2)
Flames News & Notes
Up Next
After a pair of long road trips, the Flames come back and enjoy a week off from matches. Liberty comes back to host Gardner-Webb on March 10 at 1 p.m. from the Liberty Tennis Complex.
The Flames opened the event Friday with a 4-0 loss to No. 41 Arizona State, responded the next day with a 4-0 triumph over UTSA and wrapped the tournament Saturday night with the 4-1 triumph over No. 68 Utah State.
Liberty snapped a five-match losing streak on Saturday with each loss against a program currently holding an ITA national ranking.
The Flames, competing at the Diablos College Invitational for the third consecutive year, improve their record to 4-5 at the event. Liberty was matched up against hosting Arizona State for the first time in program history and at the tournament. The Flames were also facing UTSA for the second time and Utah State for the first time in program history.
Doubles was strong for the Flames at the tournament, collecting a 4-2 record. Liberty's No. 28 pair of Joaquim Almeida and Siwanat Auytayakul went 2-1 over the weekend, including a 7-5 loss to Arizona State's No. 56 pair of Bor Artnak and Matic Dimic.
Match 1 vs No. 41 Arizona State
The Flames opened the tournament against tournament host and No. 41 Arizona State. The two squads battled in doubles but the Sun Devils gained the edge despite Liberty reaching five games in two matches.
Arizona State left little doubt in singles, picking up three consecutive wins to clinch the 4-0 win including triumphs on courts six and two. The Sun Devils secured the match-winning fourth point on court one with Bor Artnak topping Joaquim Almeida, needing a first-set tiebreaker, 7-6 (2), 6-1.
Liberty won the first set on courts four and five when the match was clinched.
The Sun Devils advanced to the winners bracket while Liberty moved to the losers bracket for a meeting with UTSA.
#41 Arizona State 4, Liberty 0
Singles Competition
1. Bor Artnak (ASU) def. Joaquim Almeida (LIBERTYM) 7-6 (7-2), 6-1
2. Mathis Bondaz (ASU) def. Carl Roothman (LIBERTYM) 6-2, 6-4
3. Nicola Cigna (ASU) vs. R Santiago Arraez (LIBERTYM) 6-4, 5-3, unfinished
4. Tanner Povey (ASU) vs. Siwanat Auytayakul (LIBERTYM) 3-6, 4-4, unfinished
5. Matic Dimic (ASU) vs. Ernst Gouws (LIBERTYM) 4-6, 6-3, 1-0, unfinished
6. Roi Ginat (ASU) def. Chase Robinson (LIBERTYM) 6-3, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. #56 Bor Artnak/Matic Dimic (ASU) def. #28 Joaquim Almeida/Siwanat Auytayakul (LIBERTYM) 7-5
2. #62 Tanner Povey/Daniel Phillips (ASU) def. R Santiago Arraez/Carl Roothman (LIBERTYM) 6-3
3. Nicola Cigna/Mathis Bondaz (ASU) vs. Chase Robinson/Ernst Gouws (LIBERTYM) 6-5, unfinished
Liberty 3-7
Arizona State 6-5; National ranking #41
Order of Finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (6,2,1)
Match 2 vs. UTSA
The Flames took command of the match early with strong wins on courts one and three. Liberty was also leading 5-3 on court two when the doubles point was clinched.
Liberty sparked for three decisive victories, forfeiting a combined eight games between the No. 6, 5 and 3 singles matches. Rodrigo Santiago Arraez earned the match-clinching fourth point with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Miguel Alonso. The sophomore earned his third win and is currently unbeaten in his Liberty career playing in the No. 3 position.
Liberty 4, UTSA 0
Singles Competition
1. Joaquim Almeida (LIBERTYM) vs. #103 Tiago Torres (UTSA) 3-6, 3-4, unfinished
2. Carl Roothman (LIBERTYM) vs. Danijal Muminovic (UTSA) 7-6, 5-2, unfinished
3. R Santiago Arraez (LIBERTYM) def. Miguel Alonso (UTSA) 6-1, 6-3
4. Siwanat Auytayakul (LIBERTYM) vs. Enzo Vargas (UTSA) 6-2, 3-1, unfinished
5. Ernst Gouws (LIBERTYM) def. Santiago Flyckt (UTSA) 6-0, 6-2
6. Chase Robinson (LIBERTYM) def. Jakub Wlodarczyk (UTSA) 6-1, 6-1
Doubles Competition
1. #28 Joaquim Almeida/Siwanat Auytayakul (LIBERTYM) def. Tiago Torres/Oskar Grzegorzewski (UTSA) 6-2
2. R Santiago Arraez/Carl Roothman (LIBERTYM) vs. Miguel Alonso/Santiago Flyckt (UTSA) 5-3, unfinished
3. Ernst Gouws/Chase Robinson (LIBERTYM) def. Danijal Muminovic/Enzo Vargas (UTSA) 6-3
UTSA 4-7
Liberty 4-7
Order of Finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (6,5,3)
Match 3 vs No. 68 Utah State
Liberty concluded the weekend with a momentous 4-1 triumph over No. 68 Utah State. The Flames locked down the doubles point with victories on courts three and one. Liberty also led 5-2 on court two when the doubles point was secured.
The top of the lineup showed out in the final match of the weekend event. Joaquim Almeida pushed the lead to 2-0 with a 6-2, 6-4 win in the No. 1 singles match. The Aggies responded with a victory on court five.
Siwanat Auytakul halted a challenging losing streak with his first singles triumph since Feb. 2. The freshman bested Dimitri Goubin 7-5, 6-2 in the No. 4 singles match. Carl Roothman secured the match-winning fourth point in the No. 2 singles match. The junior topped Roman Venger 6-4, 6-2 to secure the back-to-back match victories.
Liberty 4, #68 Utah State 1
Singles Competition
1. Joaquim Almeida (LIBERTYM) def. David Martirosian (USU) 6-2, 6-4
2. Carl Roothman (LIBERTYM) def. Roman Venger (USU) 6-4, 6-2
3. Eliot Nobel (USU) vs. R Santiago Arraez (LIBERTYM) 3-6, 4-3, unfinished
4. Siwanat Auytayakul (LIBERTYM) def. Dimitri Goubin (USU) 7-5, 6-2
5. Eemil Pasanen (USU) def. Ernst Gouws (LIBERTYM) 6-1, 7-5
6. Keanu Rigby (USU) vs. Chase Robinson (LIBERTYM) 5-7, 3-4, unfinished
Doubles Competition
1. #28 Joaquim Almeida/Siwanat Auytayakul (LIBERTYM) def. David Martirosian/Eliot Nobel (USU) 6-4
2. Carl Roothman/R Santiago Arraez (LIBERTYM) def. Mohammad Alkotop/Dimitri Goubin (USU) 5-2
3. Ernst Gouws/Chase Robinson (LIBERTYM) def. Sergi Mico Fenollar/Keanu Rigby (USU) 6-2
Liberty 5-7
Utah State 6-6; National ranking #68
Order of Finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (1,5,4,2)
Flames News & Notes
- No Flame earned multiple singles victories over the weekend but each Flame picked up a singles victory.
- Liberty picks up its first victory a ranked opponent. The Flames were previously 0-4 this season against foes that held an ITA national ranking.
Up Next
After a pair of long road trips, the Flames come back and enjoy a week off from matches. Liberty comes back to host Gardner-Webb on March 10 at 1 p.m. from the Liberty Tennis Complex.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,1
Order of Finish:
6,2,1
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