DeKALB —The NIU men’s tennis team saw junior Mikko Malinen and redshirt senior Khristopher Ortego each win a pair of singles as they competed at the Bulldog Cup over the weekend in Des Moines, Iowa.

Malinen began the event with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over freshman Jona Gitschel of DePaul University. After suffering two defeats on Saturday, Malinen finished singles play on Sunday with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Wichita State University freshman Jaydn Richardson.

Ortego’s first victory of the tournament came on Saturday after taking a loss on opening day. The transfer from the University of Illinois earned a 6-4, 6-2 victory against DePaul freshman Sven Moser in a Saturday afternoon matchup. Ortego achieved a second consecutive win on Sunday after beating Wichita State redshirt sophomore Alex Richards by scores of 6-4 and 6-2.

During doubles play, Ortego joined forces with junior Oliver Valentinsson to record a perfect 2-0 record at the event. The pair defeated redshirt sophomore Zach Grueber and Richardson of Wichita State 8-1 on Friday. The following day, they went on to triumph freshman Matteo Iaquinto and Moser of DePaul 8-4 to end their outing.

Meanwhile, the duo of Malinen and senior Victor Spolidorio went 0-3 after suffering a loss on each day of the tourney. Sophomores Armin Koschtojan and Mikael Vollbach went 1-2 after with a win on Saturday between losses on Friday and Sunday.

The Huskies will return to Des Moines on Oct. 29, where they will compete in the Drake Cup. The event will take place at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center at Drake University.