DENVER - The No. 40 Denver men's tennis team opened the 2011 dual season with a convincing 6-1 win over Montana State tonight at Denver Country Club.

The Pioneers won the doubles point with a clean sweep and won five of six singles matches to get the season-opening win.

"It is always nice to start the year with a win," DU head coach Danny Westerman said. "We have focused a lot on doubles recently and I was happy we were able to implement those strategies within the match."

The doubles combos of Andrew Landwerlen (Las Cruces, N.M.) and Jens Vorkefeld (Ostercappeln, Germany), Enej Bonin (Koper, Slovenia) and Fabio Biasion (Velbert, Germany), and Yannick Weihs (Guntramsdorf, Austria) and Jonathan Kidane (Stockholm, Sweden) won their respective doubles matches.

Bonin, Vorkefeld, Weihs, Landwerlen and Kidane each posted singles wins. Kidane recorded his first career dual win with a 6-1, 6-2 win over MSU's Prithiv Sivasubramanium at No. 5 singles.

The Pioneers return to action at No. 16 Illinois on Friday, Jan. 28.