Michigan
Illinois
Michigan Unable to Pull Upset at Seventh-Ranked Illinois
4/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The No. 35 University of Michigan men's tennis team was unable to knock off No. 7 Illinois, falling by a score of 6-1 Sunday afternoon (April 9) at the Atkins Tennis Center. In a match that was closer than the final score indicates, the Wolverines (11-8, 5-2 Big Ten) were only able to come away with victories at No. 1 doubles and No. 6 singles. The Fighting Illini (15-5, 5-1 Big Ten) have now won the last 11 meetings with U-M dating back to the 1997 season.
Michigan's No. 11-ranked pairing of junior Brian Hung (Hong Kong, China/Sagemont Virtual School) and sophomore Matko Maravic (Zagreb, Croatia/V. Gimnazija) gave the Wolverines a win at No. 1 doubles, as it defeated Ruben Gonzales and Ryan Rowe by an 8-6 margin for its sixth straight victory. Hung and Maravic have been triumphant in 22 of their last 27 matches dating back to the fall.
After a pair of 8-6 wins at Nos. 2 and 3 doubles gave Illinois a 1-0 lead in the match, the Illini reeled off singles wins at the top five positions to secure the team victory. Two of those matches went to three sets, with 64th-ranked GD Jones fighting back to defeat Hung, 5-7, 7-6(7), 1-0(4), at No. 2, and 60th-ranked Rowe battling back to beat junior Ryan Heller (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North HS), 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(3), at No. 3. Both Hung and Heller had match point before their respective opponents rallied to steal the win.
Michigan's lone bright spot in singles came at No. 6, where freshman Peter Aarts (Pound Ridge, N.Y./Fox Lane HS) earned perhaps the biggest win of his young career. He defeated Pramod Dabir by a score of 6-4, 6-4 for his fifth straight victory.
The Wolverines return to the hardcourt next Saturday (April 15) when they host Ohio State. The match is scheduled for a noon start at the Varsity Tennis Center.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- #3 Ryler DeHeart (ILL) d. #44 Matko Maravic, 6-2, 6-0
No. 2 -- #64 GD Jones (ILL) d. Brian Hung, 5-7, 7-6(7), 1-0(4)
No. 3 -- #60 Ryan Rowe (ILL) d. Ryan Heller, 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(3)
No. 4 -- Ruben Gonzales (ILL) d. Andrew Mazlin, 6-2, 7-6(3)
No. 5 -- Marc Spicijaric (ILL) d. Steve Peretz, 6-4, 6-4
No. 6 -- Peter Aarts (U-M) d. Pramod Dabir, 6-4, 6-4
Doubles
No. 1 -- #11 Hung/Maravic (U-M) d. Gonzales/Rowe, 8-4
No. 2 -- #17 Dabir/DeHeart (ILL) d. Heller/Mazlin, 8-6
No. 3 -- Jones/Spicijaric (ILL) d. Aarts/Scott Bruckmann, 8-6
Order of Completion: Doubles 2-1-3, Singles 1-6-5-4-2-3
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
