Fresno State opens NCAA Tournament against No. 12 Stanford

FRESNO, Calif.– The Fresno State men's tennis team will open the 2019 NCAA Tournament against No. 12 seed Stanford on Friday, May 3 at 2 p.m. PT at Taube Family Tennis Stadium. The Bulldogs will make their first NCAA appearance since 2012, 14^thin program history.

"We are really excited for the match up with Stanford," head coach Luke Shields said "They have great history there and a really good team. Our guys are really excited for the opportunity. We will play loose and free. We will be preaching to have an aggressive mindset and just go after it this week! It's great to be back in the big dance!"

TICKETS
All seats are general admission. Single-day tickets are $8 (adult) and $5 (student/youth/senior). Fans can purchase tickets in advance using the link on the men's tennis schedule page.The box office will open 30 minutes before the first event on each day.

HOW TO FOLLOW
Fans can follow along with live stats or watch the live stream during the match. Both links are available on the men's tennis schedule page.Live scores and updates will be available on Twitter (@FresnoStateMTEN).

QUICK LOOK AT THE 'DOGS
Fresno State (18-10, 5-2 MW) enters the regional winning seven of its last eight matches. The Bulldogs clinched an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning the first Mountain West Championship in program history on April 27. Fresno State seeks its first NCAA Tournament win since 2011, when the Bulldogs bested Minnesota 4-3 in the first round.

Match Notes:

Fresno State has won seven of its last eight matches.
Fresno State has had eight matches finish with a score of 4-3 this season, including three during conference play.
Fresno State has been solid in singles play during the spring, owning an 82-53 advantage over its opponents.
Fresno State has won the doubles point in two of its last three matches.
The Cardinal owns the all-time series record against the Bulldogs, 18-1. The last time the Bulldogs were victorious was in 2012, winning 4-3.
The last time the Bulldogs played in the NCAA Tournament was in 2012, Fresno State fell to San Diego 4-0 in the first round.
Fresno State has an all-time record of 15-13 in the NCAA Tournament.
Fresno State has advanced passed NCAA Regionals four times in program history.

THE LINEUP:

Zdenek Derkas

2019 MW Player of the Year
2019 All-MW Singles Team
Compiled a team-best 25-9 overall singles record, 20-6 record in dual play.
Posted a 7-0 conference record at the No. 1 singles position.
Has won 13 consecutive matches.
Defeated six ranked opponents this season.
Owns an 11-9 doubles record in dual play.

Angus Bradshaw

2019 All-MW Singles Team
Complied a 14-14 overall singles record, 10-12 record in dual play.
Owns a 7-2 record when playing at the No. 3 position.
Has pushed seven matches into a third set this season.
Clinched the 2019 MW title after battling back from a one-set deficit to defeat his opponent 0-6, 6-4, 6-2. Bradshaw finished the season with an overall singles record of 14-14, owning a 7-2 record when playing at the No. 3 position.

Mantas Bugailiskis

Owns a 15-9 overall singles record, 11-7 record in dual play.
Has played at three different positions for the Bulldogs, owns a 6-4 record at the No. 2 position.
Has won two of his last three matches.
Owns an 18-11 doubles record, 13-10 record in dual play.
Clinched the match against Utah State in the MW semifinals with a 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 win at the No. 2 position.

Jeremy Moser

Compiled a 13-12 overall singles record, 10-8 record in dual play.
Has played at four different positions for the Bulldogs this season.
Has won three of his last four matches.

Cem Erturk

Compiled a 15-9 overall singles record, 10-5 in dual play.
Has won his last two consecutive matches.
Has played at four different positions for the Bulldogs this season.
Paired with five different partners during spring to post a 12-9 doubles record.

Cagatay Soke

Compiled a 17-11 overall singles record, 12-8 record in dual play.
Has won six of his last eight matches.
Has played at four different positions for the Bulldogs this season.
Paired with five different partners during the spring to post an 11-7 doubles record.

SCOUTING THE CARDINAL
Stanford (17-6, 5-3 Pac-12) received its 12th consecutive NCAA Tournament bid.

Team Notes:

Stanford has been ranked within the Top 15 in the ITA poll all season and enters the NCAA tournament No. 14 in the latest rankings.
Stanford has won 17 national titles in program history.
Stanford owns a 109-24 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament.
Stanford most recently captured the NCAA Championship in 2000.
Stanford has won four of its last five matches.
Stanford is coming off a 4-2 loss to No. 8 USC in the Pac 12 semifinals.

The Cardinal duo of Axel Geller and William Genender have led Stanford at the top two singles positions this season. Geller owns a 10-6 dual record playing at the No. 1 position. Genender owns a team-best 11-3 record playing primarily at the No. 2 position and has won his last four consecutive matches.

In doubles, Geller and Alexandre Rotsaert have compiled a team-best 10-5 dual record at the No. 1 position.

Texas Tech (15-11, 2-3 Big 12) and UC Santa Barbara (16-6, 5-0 Big West) will also make the trip to Stanford, Calif. for the first-round. The winners of the two matches will advance to the second-round on Saturday, May 4 at 3 p.m.

The winner of the four-team regional advances to super-regional competition May 10 or 11. The super-regional winners advance to the USTA National Campus in Orlando, where eight teams will compete for a national championship May 16-19.

"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogschoarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.

Fresno State opens NCAA Tournament against No. 12 Stanford

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Players Mentioned

Angus Bradshaw

Mantas Bugailiskis

Zdenek Derkas

Cem Erturk

Jeremy Moser

Cagatay Soke

Fresno State Athletics

Fresno State opens NCAA Tournament against No. 12 Stanford

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Next Event

Players Mentioned

Angus Bradshaw

Mantas Bugailiskis

Zdenek Derkas

Cem Erturk

Jeremy Moser

Cagatay Soke

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