Michigan
Iowa
Men's Tennis Wins Big Ten Opener 5-2 Over Iowa
3/27/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Site: Iowa City, Iowa (Recreation Building)
Score: Michigan 5, Iowa 2
Records: U-M (8-1, 1-0 Big Ten), Iowa (7-6, 0-1 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, March 28 -- at Wisconsin (Madison, Wis.), Noon CST
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Michigan men's tennis team opened the Big Ten Conference dual-match schedule with a 5-2 victory Saturday afternoon (March 27) against Iowa at the Recreation Building. The Wolverines improved to 8-1 on the season, while the Hawkeyes dropped to 7-6 and 0-1 in conference play.
Michigan jumped out to a 1-0 advantage by winning the doubles point. The Wolverines received victories at the No. 1 and No. 3 doubles spots, while Iowa avoided the sweep with an 8-3 win at the No. 2 spot.
Junior Matt Wright (Wichita, Kan./Wichita Collegiate HS) and freshman Danny McCain (Largo, Fla./Canterbury School) defeated Jason Dunn and Ulf Jentler at the No. 1 spot (8-3), tying for the team lead in doubles victories with nine on the year (9-5). The win raised their record to 6-3 in dual-match action and to 4-2 against regional opponents.
Senior co-captain Jake Raiton (Portland, Ore./Wilson HS) and junior John Long (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron HS) ensured the doubles point with a commanding 8-2 victory at the No. 3 doubles spot. Raiton and Long defeated J.R. Chidley and Ben Auskaps (8-2) to remain undefeated in dual match action with a 7-0 record (9-2 overall).
Leading 1-0 heading into singles, the Wolverines put the match away as they claimed wins at the No. 1 through No. 3 singles spots and at No. 6. The victory was Michigan's 37th in 41 all-time matches against Iowa.
Wright got things started at the No. 1 spot, defeating Tyler Cleveland in straight sets (6-4, 6-4). Senior co-captain William Farah (Flint, Mich./Powers Catholic HS) followed with a hard-fought three-set victory over Chidley (6-3, 3-6, 6-2) at the No. 2 slot, while Long finished off the lower singles sweep with a straight-sets win (6-1, 6-2) against Jentler at the No. 3 spot.
Freshman Ben Cox (Spring Lake, Mich./Spring Lake HS) gained the team lead in singles victories, posting his 16th with a straight-sets decision over Ben Bamsey at the No. 6 singles spot (6-2, 6-2). Cox has compiled a 16-4 season record and is 8-0 in dual-match action.
Michigan concludes its opening weekend of Big Ten Conference dual matches tomorrow (Sunday, March 28) at Wisconsin. The match will be played at the Nielsen Tennis Center beginning at noon CST.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- Matt Wright (U-M) d. Tyler Cleveland, 6-4, 6-4
No. 2 -- William Farah (U-M) d. J.R. Chidley, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
No. 3 -- John Long (U-M) d. Ulf Jentler, 6-1, 6-2
No. 4 -- Petar Mandic (Iowa) d. Danny McCain, 7-6, 6-2
No. 5 -- Jason Dunn (Iowa) d. Henry Beam, 7-5, 6-3
No. 6 -- Ben Cox (U-M) d. Ben Bamsey, 6-2, 6-2
Doubles
No. 1 -- Wright/McCain (U-M) d. Dunn/Jentler, 8-3
No. 2 -- Cleveland/Bamsey (Iowa) d. Brad McFarlane/Farah, 8-3
No. 3 -- Jake Raiton/Long (U-M) d. Chidley/Auskaps, 8-2
Players Mentioned
