Michigan
Illinois
Michigan Unable to Pull Off Upset Against No. 1 Illinois
4/18/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 53 University of Michigan men's tennis team was unable to pull off an upset of No. 1-ranked Illinois, losing 5-2 on Senior Day (Sunday, April 18) on the outdoor courts at the Varsity Tennis Center. The Wolverines (11-8, 2-6 Big Ten) dropped the doubles point for the third straight match and suffered four straight-set singles losses. With the victory, the defending national champion Fighting Illini (23-0, 8-0 Big Ten) remain undefeated on the season and extend their NCAA-record winning streak to 55 matches.
Junior David Anving (Tvaaker, Sweden/Varbergs Gymnasieskola) provided Michigan with its first point of the match, dominating No. 104 Michael Calkins in straight sets at No. 4 to earn his team-high 13th win of the dual match season. After posting a 6-2 score in the first frame, Anving battled through gusting winds and overpowered Calkins 6-1 in the second set to earn the match. Freshman Brian Hung (Hong Kong, China/Sagemont Virtual School) followed suit, coming from behind to defeat No. 30 Phil Stolt in a super tiebreaker 3-6, 6-3, 1-0(7) to give the Wolverines their second point of the day.
Playing in the final home match of his career, senior Anthony Jackson (Glendale, Wis./Nicolet HS) squared off against No. 2-ranked Brian Wilson at No. 1. Unfortunately, Jackson was unable to go out on a winning note, as Wilson posted a 6-1, 6-2 victory.
The Wolverines were able to stay competive with Illinois through a majority of each doubles match, but the Illini eventually pulled out victories in all three to claim the first point of the afternoon.
At No. 1, the U-M tandem of freshman Ryan Heller (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North HS) and Hung matched the efforts of the No. 2-ranked team of Stolt and Brian Wilson through four games, but the Illinois pair took the next four games to prevail 8-4. Anving and junior Josef Fischer (Nuernberg, Germany/Bradenton Academy) fought back from a 4-1 deficit to tie their match at No. 3, but once again the Illini pair of G.D. Jones and Ryler DeHeart won four straight games to win 8-4 and clinch the doubles point.
Illinois completed the doubles sweep at No. 2, as Calkins and Pramod Dabir slipped by Jackson and junior Vinny Gossain (Okemos, Mich./Okemos HS) by a 9-7 score. The Wolverine duo battled their opponent through seven games, but Calkins and Dabir earned wins in the final two games to take the match.
The Wolverines close out the regular season on the road next weekend, as they face Northwestern in Evanston, Ill., on Saturday (April 24) before heading to Madison, Wis., to take on Wisconsin on Sunday (April 25). Both matches are scheduled to begin at noon CDT.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- #2 Brian Wilson (ILL) d. Anthony Jackson, 6-1, 6-2
No. 2 -- Brian Hung (U-M) d. #30 Phil Stolt, 3-6, 6-3, 1-0(7)
No. 3 -- #117 Ryler DeHeart (ILL) d. Ryan Heller, 6-3, 7-5
No. 4 -- David Anving (U-M) d. #104 Michael Calkins, 6-2, 6-1
No. 5 -- G.D. Jones (ILL) d. Josef Fischer, 6-4, 6-2
No. 6 -- Pramod Dabir (ILL) d. Carey Rubin, 6-1, 6-2
Doubles
No. 1 -- #2 Stolt/Wilson (ILL) d. Heller/Hung, 8-4
No. 2 -- Dabir/Calkins (ILL) d. Jackson/Vinny Gossain, 9-7
No. 3 -- Jones/DeHeart (ILL) d. Anving/Fischer, 8-4
Order of Completion: Doubles 1-3-2, Singles 6-4-1-5-3-2
N O T E S
With his victory at No. 4, David Anving achieved his 40th career singles win at U-M. In three seasons, Anving has compiled an overall singles record of 40-29, including a 36-20 dual match mark.
David Anving's win over No. 104 Michael Calkins is his first career victory against a nationally ranked opponent. Anving is 1-3 all-time against opponents in the ITA rankings.
Brian Hung's upset victory at No. 2 gives him a tie for the team lead in dual match singles wins (13-5) with David Anving (13-4) and puts him at 20 wins for the 2003-04 season (20-9). Hung is the second Wolverine to reach 20 wins this season, as Michael Rubin has posted a 21-12 record.
Brian Hung's victory over No. 30 Phil Stolt is his first career win against a nationally ranked opponent. Hung handed Stolt just his third loss in 20 dual singles matches.
Michigan drops to 60-23-2 all-time against the Fighting Illini.
The Wolverines are 3-8 against nationally ranked opponents this season.
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
