Michigan
NCAA Singles & Doubles Day 2
Hung and Maravic Ousted From NCAA Individual Tournament
5/24/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Hung and Maravic, the 10th-ranked doubles tandem in the nation, broke Hubble and Rogers' serve to go up 4-3 and then held to take a 5-4 lead. The U-M pair had an opportunity to serve out the first set, but the Volunteer duo played a solid return game to gain the break. After each team held serve to send the set to a tiebreaker, Hubble and Rogers stepped it up and took seven of the next nine points to claim the first set.
The Tennessee tandem carried the momentum over into the second set, running away with 6-2 win to clinch the upset victory and advance to the round of 16.
Hung and Maravic, who were ranked as high as No. 2 in 2006-07, finished the year with a team-best 25-9 record. The duo was making its second straight appearance at the national doubles tournament, having reached the second round last season.
Maravic and D'Agord held serve through the first seven games of the first set, until Maravic gave up a break to go down 5-3. D'Agord then held serve to win the first set.
Maravic was broken in two of his first three service games in the second set, allowing D'Agord to jump out to a 4-1 lead. Maravic gained a break of his own to cut the deficit to 4-2, but D'Agord returned the favor in the ensuing game and then served out the match.
The 50th-ranked Maravic, who was making his second straight appearance at the national singles tournament, finished the year with a team-high 27 singles wins (27-13).
Maravic advanced to play D'Agord after earning a 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 decision over Georgia's No. 35-ranked Matic Omerzel in Wednesday's (May 23) opening round. It was Michigan's first victory at the NCAA Singles Championship since 1992, when David Kass (1989-92) won three matches before falling in the quarterfinals.
D'Agord defeated Maravic in two previous matches, both during the Miami Invitational -- 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 on Jan. 15, 2006, and 6-3, 6-0 on Jan. 13, 2007.
Following are match-by-match results:
#50 Matko Maravic
Singles Round of 64 -- d. #35 Matic Omerzel (Georgia), 6-3, 1-6, 6-1
Singles Round of 32 -- l. #9 Luigi D'Agord (Miami, Fla.), 6-3, 6-2
Finished with a 1-1 record
#10 Brian Hung/Matko Maravic
Doubles Round of 32 -- l. #29 Adam Hubble/Ben Rogers (Tennessee), 7-6(2), 6-2
Finished with an 0-1 record
Q U O T E S
U-M Head Coach Bruce Berque
On today's first-round doubles match ... "We were doing a very good job in the beginning of playing aggressively and making a lot of balls. We were executing the game plan very well. Even though we had just a one-break lead, I felt like we were dictating most of the play. We were serving for the first set at 5-4, and the Tennessee team a terrific return game, the best by far they played in the match. They turned the momentum and tied it at 5-5. They had a good service game to hold and then we held to send it to a tiebreaker. Tennessee just played a very good tiebreaker. They never let up after that. They stopped making mistakes and started to put a lot of pressure on us. We struggled to make returns and they reduced their errors."
On the doubles career of Brian Hung and Matko Maravic ending today ... "It's like any other sport. You can only control what you do and you can't always control what your opponents do. The Tennessee team played extremely well and did a great job of capitalizing on the opportunities that they had. I give most of the credit to Tennessee. Brian and Matko could have played better in the second set, but I think the Tennessee team played nearly flawlessly towards the end. At the end of the day Brian and Matko were disappointed that they couldn't move on, but they realize that this tournament is the toughest in college tennis. It's very tough to win matches here. You have to play at your highest level. Even if you do play at a high level, sometimes that's not good enough. I know that on a different day Brian and Matko were capable of winning this match and likely going a lot further in the tournament. They've proven that before in other national tournaments. Tennessee was just the better team today. That's the last match Brian and Matko will play together, and it's disappointing to have it end that way. I know that the body of work theyve put together throughout the last few years was probably some of the best doubles that the Michigan program as ever seen. I'm sure that anyone who has seen them play together is going to miss it. I'm definitely appreciative of the way they competed and the benefit they brought to our program. I'm sure Matko is going to do his best to continue the strong level of play next year with a different partner. The accomplishments they've made overshadow the fact that they couldn't get it done today. They've been a fantastic doubles team for Michigan."
On the singles play of Matko Maravic ... "He did a very good job yesterday, beating a great player from Georgia who I'm sure was on a confidence high after winning the national championship. It was a great win for Matko. Luigi D'Agord is very talented. I'd have to say that he might be the most talented player in college and may have the highest potential to play a pro game. He's got so many weapons. He's got a huge serve and a big forehand. Matko started off playing pretty smart and playing pretty well. The margin of error when you're facing a player with weapons like that is so small. Matko really felt the pressure to play almost flawlessly on his serve because he knew that if he didn't, Luigi could step up and hit a winner at almost any time. Once Matko stopped serving consistently, there was just too much pressure for him to hold. I don't think Matko played badly. I was happy that he had a good start and a good game plan. He just couldn't sustain a high enough level to get it done today. Hopefully Matko can keep improving and have a chance to do better next year."
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
