DENVER ? Sascha Heinemann of Hawai’i has been named the Western Athletic Conference Men’s Tennis Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 7-13. This is the first WAC Player of the Week honor for Heinemann this season and the second of his career, earning the honor in 2007.
Heinemann, a junior from Eschwege, Germany (Rudolf-Koch Schule), performed brilliantly in the Rainbow Warriors home opener against No. 13 Alabama, Jan. 10, earning a victory at the No. 1 singles position. Heinemann beat No. 98 Mathieu Thibaudeau of Alabama, a tough serve and volley player, in straight sets (6-3, 6-4). His singles win was one of two wins Hawai’i picked up against the SEC powerhouse Crimson Tide. In doubles, Heinemann and teammate Andreas Weber lost a close match to Thibaudeau and Buikema in a tiebreaker, 8-7 (5) at the No. 1 slot.
Other nominees included: Oscar Ericsson of Utah State won both his singles and doubles match at the No. 2 position as the Aggies fell to BYU, 5-2. Ericsson defeated J. Sanchez, 6-7, 2-3 (ret.) in the lone singles win for the Aggies, before partnering up with Fernando Gallegos in doubles to defeat Daniel Hwang and Evan Urbina, 8-6, to help Utah State sweep all three doubles matches to earn the doubles point.
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