In just the team's second season back from a 10-year hiatus, ASU's men's tennis team has risen to prominence with a number of great players.
Among them are junior Dominik Kellovsky and junior Nathan Ponwith, who are currently the No. 9 men's doubles pair in NCAA Division I tennis, the highest-ranking for a men's doubles pair for ASU since 1991.
The pair started out unranked, both having just transferred to ASU this past year. Kellovsky came from the B.I.B.S. Brno International Business School, and Ponwith came from the University of Georgia.
However, after ASU's duo won four straight matches, the team leaped into the rankings at No. 51. The duo went 3-4 in their next seven games, including a win versus then-No. 33 pair Paul Barretto and Can Kaya from Cal.
After multiple weeks at No. 49, the pair jumped to No. 18 before their biggest matchup of the year against the No. 1 pair in the country, Jimmy Bendeck and Sven Lah from Baylor.
Kellovsky and Ponwith proceeded to defeat the pair 6-3 in what has been arguably the biggest win for the doubles program thus far.
The two have relished playing together and note how they have seemed like the perfect pair for ASU.
"I think we’re meshing really well together on the doubles court," Ponwith said. "We compliment each other’s game very well out there."
Kellovsky echoed similar statements, saying "I think we’re working pretty well on the court."
Ponwith complimented Kellovsky and his play throughout the season, adding how each player wants to make the other play to their best ability.
"We both just want to play our best out there to help each other and win as much as possible," Ponwith said.
With each player having one more year, Kellovsky feels the two will grow closer as time passes, and as the regular season nears a close and postseason approaches, the pair looks to solidify their rankings at the top.
"We obviously haven’t known each other for too long," Kellovsky said. "So I think it’s going to get better over the coming months and years. We’re trying to do even more, trying to get higher."
Reach the reporter at jhorst2@asu.edu and follow @HorseySeven on Twitter.
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Jeffrey Horst is the digital editor-in-chief of The State Press. He previously served as the publication's sports editor and worked at Cronkite News and ArizonaSports.com.
