Coming off a season when Indiana men’s tennis finished 16-11 overall and 4-5 in Big Ten play, there was more to be desired coming into the 2025 season.
The new season got off to a stellar start Saturday as Indiana beat Cleveland State University in convincing fashion inside the IU Tennis Center in Bloomington. The Hoosiers also squeaked out a gritty win against Ball State University this weekend.
Indiana head coach Jeremy Wurtzman viewed the doubleheader as a success but admitted there was room for improvement. He thought the team did a great job of setting the tone early, which led to success later on in the matches.
“It’s always exciting to get it going,” Wurtzman said post-match. “It was nice to go out there and play. I thought we did a great job of winning doubles points and getting a lot of first sets and coming away with two wins which was awesome.”
Although Indiana swept Cleveland State, junior Jip van Assendelft, who transferred from Boise State University in June 2024, left the first match early with an apparent injury. However, he came back in the second game and played against Ball State.
Redshirt sophomore Facundo Yunis was named to the Big Ten’s Men’s Tennis Players to Watch list before the season. Being one of the team’s vocal leaders in the locker room can hold a lot of weight, but in the first two games of the year, Yunis played up to his preseason expectations.
Yunis won 6-2, 6-3 in singles in the first game against Cleveland State and 6-2, 6-3 again in singles in the second game against Ball State. Freshman Braeden Gelletich won 6-4, 6-2 in singles against Cleveland State and 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 in singles against Ball State – kicking off his first two collegiate games in impressive fashion.
With his own and the team’s success, Yunis believes the Hoosiers can build on their doubleheader win to start the season.
“We have to face adversity,” Yunis said. “It was tied at some points of the match, we had a lot of young guys, a lot of freshmen, playing. I thought our attitude was great. It can only get better from here.”
Indiana’s next matchup is at 1 p.m. Feb. 1 against Dartmouth University inside the IU Tennis Center in Bloomington.
Follow reporter Elakai Anela (elakai_anela) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s tennis season.
