Matej Panik
Photo by: Jack Murrey
Matej Panik Earns Weekly Big Sky Honor, Joins Doubles Partner Jamieson Nathan in Cracking National Rankings
3/23/2022 4:07:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Panik reels in his first Big Sky Men's Tennis Player of the Week honor
BOZEMAN, Montana – The first match of the day, it turns out, was one of the most significant.
Matej Panik and Jamieson Nathan opened doubles play at Idaho State last weekend with a 6-4 win over Idaho State's nationally ranked tandem of Patrik Thrac and Aleksandar Petrovic at No. 1 doubles. While ISU captured the doubles point, that win jump-started the Bobcats. MSU won the match 4-3 to remain undefeated in Big Sky play.
That win also catapulted Panik to the first Big Sky Conference Men's Tennis Player of the Week honor in his career, while pushing the tandem of Panik and Nathan to 40th in this week's ITA Men's Doubles rankings. Earlier in the season Panik and Daan Van Dijk were nationally ranked in doubles play.
Montana State is 13-6 overall and 4-0 in Big Sky play to lead the Big Sky Conference, and Panik's play has been a driving force. The sophomore owns a 6-10 record on the season in singles play but is 3-0 in conference action and has won three of his last four.
Panik was part of a change in doubles lineups in early March that has punched up the team's play in that area. Panik and Nathan joined forced on March 6, and the two have compiled a 4-1 record since. Panik has also won three of his four singles matches in that span of time, as well.
The Bobcats return to the court on Sunday, hosting Weber State in a crucial league contest at 3 pm in the Bobcat-Anderson Tennis Center. The Wildcats stand 2-1 in Big Sky play this season before their match at Montana on Saturday.
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