DENVER – Today's installment of 10 Days of Tennis, which looks back at the top performers in MSU Denver tennis history, continues with the best doubles pairings ever to compete for the Roadrunners.
 
Athletic department personnel and MSU Denver coaches have been consulted to come up with the lineup.
 
We started Friday with our No. 3 doubles combinations, and we'll continue to move our way up the ladder. The singles lineup begins to be revealed on Monday, with the No. 6 players for both men and women. The No. 1 women's singles player will be announced Saturday, April 18, and the No. 1 men's player will be revealed on Sunday, April 19.
 
So, here they are, our No. 1 doubles teams:
 
MEN: Michael Judd/Peter Lantz, 1998-99 through 1999-2000
WOMEN: Beck Meares/Jessica Meares, 2000-01 through 2003-04
 
WOMEN:  Sisters Rebecca "Beck" and Jessica Meares, though they came to MSU Denver from Australia at the same time and were in the same class academically, were actually six years apart, so they had never played doubles together competitively.
 
That didn't matter.
 
 "I think everyone assumed we had played together, but because of the age difference we never had," Beck Meares said. "We had played in the same tournaments, but not in the same age group. But you've got to have chemistry in doubles, and we already had that because we're close. And we could be a little more direct, a little more blunt, with each other, if needed."
 
It didn't take long for them to find an on-court chemistry and they eventually went a stunning 74-11 when playing together, including a 36-7 mark as a No. 1 duo while playing for the Roadrunners from the 2000-01 through the 2003-04 seasons.
 
They are recognized today as the No. 1 doubles combination in the history of the MSU Denver women's tennis program.
 
"The fact that we were sisters made it easier for us to go back and forth on the court with each other," Jessica Meares said. "It allowed us to have more fun, too. I can think of maybe only a couple of matches where we couldn't have a laugh together. I never felt any pressure. It was always good fun."
 
While Beck had spent several years playing satellite, or challenger, tournaments before decided to pursue tennis at the collegiate level in the United States, Jessica had just turned 17 when the pair came to Denver.
 
"I don't know if I would have gone over if Beck wasn't with me," Jessica said. "At that age, it was a massive change, and I'm not sure my mom and dad would have signed on. It certainly was so much easise and nicer sharing the experience with Beck."
 
Beck Meares said she also appreciated having family close by for the transition.
 
"We're a tight-knit family at home, and to go to a new country and a new culture, it didn't feel like as big of a change because I had family there," she said. "And when I was around 17 and had offers to come over and play, I clearly remember how upset I was every time that conversation came up, because I didn't want to leave home at that point. Being older and having 'J' going with me made it a heap easier."
 
The Meares sisters played No. 1 doubles as freshman, going 17-3, and then they cleaned up at No. 2 doubles the following two seasons while Jasmon Crabb and Hande Gorur (No. 2 on this list based on their two years of dominance) played No. 1. After going 38-5 during two seasons at No. 2, the Meares' moved back to No. 1 as seniors and sailed through a 17-3 campaign.
 
Both sisters sensed how former Roadrunners coach Eduardo Provencio would characterize their game.
 
"Jess was just a great, talented player," Provencio said, "but she would get nervous and Beck would keep her calm and focused. It was a really good dynamic, and fairly typical in doubles."
 
Jessica Meares is the program's all-time leader in doubles wins with 76, while Beck is second with 75. At 75-12 for an .862 winning percentage, Beck ranks first in that category, while Jessica is second at .854 (76-13). They are tied for sixth in career doubles wins at 36, but their .837 winning percentage at No. 1 is the program's best. On the single-season doubles winning percentage list, they share the best, second-best and fourth-best records.
 
"J preferred singles, but for me I was way more comfortable playing doubles," said Beck, who later spent time as an MSU Denver assistant coach and then was the program's head coach for five seasons through 2013. "I liked the strategy involved in it, and playing with J, it was really fun."
 
Both among the best singles players in MSU Denver history as well, they led the Roadrunners through one of their most glorious tennis eras. Their final three seasons, the Roadrunners won Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships and played in the NCAA Tournament. They were leaders on the 2003 team that reached the Division II national semifinals.
 
Jessica returned to Australia in 2008, while Beck did the same in 2014.
 
But they don't have to go far in order to reflect on their careers. They live across the street from one another in Clontarf, Queensland, Australia, near Brisbane.
 
MEN: Peter Lantz is a contender for top singles player ever at MSU Denver, while Michael Judd was arguably the program's best-ever doubles player. Together, playing No. 1 doubles for two seasons, they compiled a 35-8 record, all at the No. 1 position in the lineup. Judd won three straight fall ITA regional championships in doubles with three different partners – in 1998 with Bruce Dicker, in 1999 with Lantz and in 2000 with Jarrad Rexilius. Judd and Lantz were ranked 16^th nationally in the final poll of the 1999-200 season. As doubles players for their careers, Lantz (61-11) ranks first in program history in winning percentage (.847) and fourth in wins, while Judd (58-16) is fourth in winning percentage (.784) and fifth in wins. They rank 1-2 in winning percentage at No. 1 doubles (Lantz was 53-9, .855, while Judd was 55-14, .773) and they rank third (Judd) and fourth (Lantz) in No. 1 doubles wins.
 
"Michael Judd was probably the best doubles players I've ever coached," former MSU Denver coach Eduardo Provencio said. "He's the one who could be the alpha on the court. Peter was good off the ground, and Michael could cover the rest of the court if needed. The thing about them is that they really liked each other, and so they played hard for each other. Neither one ever cashed it in or became bitter. They played as well as they could because they didn't want to disappoint the other partner."
 
 
THE SERIES
Friday, April 10: No. 3 doubles (Men: Sascha Ruckelshausen/Riley Meyer.
Women: Courtney Wright/Emily Kerr).
 
Saturday, April 11: No. 2 doubles (Men: Josh Graetz/Joey Tscherne. Women: Jasmon Crabb/Hande Gorur).
 
Sunday, April 12: No. 1 doubles (Men: Michael Judd/Peter Lantz. Women: Beck Meares/Jessica Meares).

Monday, April 13: No. 6 singles.
Tuesday, April 14: No. 5 singles.
Wednesday, April 15: No. 4 singles.
Thursday, April 16: No. 3 singles.
Friday, April 17: No. 2 singles.
Saturday, April 18: Women's No. 1 singles.
Sunday, April 19: Men's No. 1 singles.