The Gustavus Men’s Tennis team won both the doubles and singles titles at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Midwest Regional Championships. The tournament was held Sept. 26-28.
In a singles tournament which drew over 100 of the Midwest’s top players, three of four semifinalists were Gusties. Senior Motasem Al-Houni took the individual title.
To do so, Al-Houni defeated his younger brother, First-year Mohanad Al-Houni, in the final by a score of 7-5, 6-4.
“Playing my [younger] brother was a fun experience for me. Both of us enjoyed it, and I’m proud of him for making it to the finals as a freshman,” Motasem Al-Houni said.
That wasn’t the only success of Motasem Al-Houni’s weekend. He and Sophomore Andres Saenz went on to win the doubles title on the final day of the tournament.
The pair rallied to win the title, following a 5-7 defeat in the first set. They won the second set and ten-point tiebreaker 6-1, 10-5.
“Andres and I worked pretty hard as doubles partners before coming to the tournament, because we didn’t play with each other last year. So we worked twice as much to have a good chemistry and communication with each other,” Motasem Al-Houni said.
Despite their short time as doubles partners, the players paired well in the final match.
“Andres kept me calm during the match and always remind me to have fun and enjoy the game and smile between points,” Motasem Al-Houni said.
“And Mota brings the energy,” Saenz added, reflecting their complementary roles as doubles partners.
“Going into the doubles finals we knew that I would be tired and energy would be low. That’s what happened during the first set—we weren’t communicating well. Going into the second set, I told Andres, ‘Let’s enjoy it’,” Al-Houni said.
To advance that far in both the singles and doubles draw, the whole team had to be involved.
“We worked hard conditioning-wise coming to this tournament, because we knew that it would be a tough task to keep the same level for three days,” Saenz said.
Their teammates expressed their pride in observing the match.
“It was really great to see them dig deep for that extra push that let them win the match,” Senior tennis player Sam Hjelm said.
Winning the USTA/ITA Midwest Regional Championship earned Motasem Al-Houni and Seanz a spot in the USTA/ITA Small College Championship in Sumter, South Carolina.
The tournament took place Oct. 9-12, where Al-Houni and Saenz achieved sixth place out of eight teams. Al-Houni placed eighth out of eight in the singles draw.
-Will Metcalf