Three Hawkeye men’s tennis players traveled to Kalamazoo, Michigan, this past weekend to compete in the Western Michigan Invitational but did not fare so well as they had hoped
Junior Nils Hallestrand and freshmen Jonas Larsen and Tony Leto represented Iowa in the two-day tournament.
Leto finished fourth in Flight E, losing to Valparaiso’s Michael Savaglio (5-7, 7-5, 10-7).
Fellow freshman Larsen finished fourth in Flight C, losing to Wisconsin-Green Bay’s Ridout (6-2, 6-1) in the consolation final.
Hallestrand played the best tennis of the Hawkeyes, finishing in second place in Flight D. He fell to Joey Leto of Western Michigan in the championship match in straight sets (6-4, 6-4).
Hallestrand and Larsen teamed up in the doubles portion, battling back from an early loss to earn third place.
In their first match, the pair fell to Xavier, 6-2. However, Hallestrand and Larsen defeated Valparaiso in the third-place match, 6-3.
The tournament served as an opportunity for some players who may not see as much time on the court in the qualifiers or in the spring.
Head coach Ross Wilson had hoped for a better showing from the Hawkeyes in the first tournament of the year, especially with the All-American pre-qualifying tournament coming up.
The Hawkeyes will head to Tulsa, Oklahoma, next weekend to compete in the pre-qualifier.