Michigan
Illinois
Michigan Drops Road Match to No. 17 Illinois
4/6/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Site: Champaign, Ill. (Atkins Tennis Center)
Score: #17 Illinois 5, #14 Michigan 2
Records: U-M (16-3, 7-1 Big Ten), Illinois (13-6, 5-1 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match: Saturday, April 12 -- vs. Notre Dame (Varsity Tennis Center), 2:30 p.m.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The No. 14-ranked University of Michigan men's tennis team's 10-match winning streak came to an end Sunday afternoon (April 6) with a 5-2 setback to No. 17-ranked Illinois at the Atkins Tennis Center. The Wolverines (16-3, 7-1 Big Ten) were unable to rebound after dropping just their fifth doubles point of the season, as the Fighting Illini (13-6, 5-1 Big Ten) went on to take four of six in singles to clinch their third straight win over U-M. Junior Andrew Mazlin(Altamonte Springs, Fla./Lyman HS) and freshman Chris Madden(Lotus, Calif./Ponderosa HS) were victorious in both singles and doubles to lead Michigan in the losing effort.
Illinois posted a pair of 8-4 wins at the top two doubles spots to take a 1-0 lead. Mazlin and Madden were able to outlast Waylon Chin and Brandon Davis by an 8-7(3) score at No. 3 to prevent the Wolverines from being swept in doubles for just the second time this year. The U-M duo holds a team-best 14-3 record in dual-match play.
The Illini tallied straight-set singles victories at Nos. 3 and 1, respectively, to jump out to a 3-0 advantage. Junior Peter Aarts(Pound Ridge, N.Y./Fox Lane HS) was unable to complete a comeback attempt at No. 5, as he fell to Chin by a 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 count to give Illinois the team win.
Michigan captured two of the three remaining matches. Madden outlasted Davis in a super-tiebreaker, 4-6, 6-4, 1-0(8), for his 11th win in 12 tries at the No. 6 position. Mazlin continued his impressive play with a 6-4, 7-5 upset victory over No. 94-ranked Billy Heiser at No. 4. Mazlin, who has defeated three nationally ranked opponents during his career, holds a team-best 16-2 dual-match record and remains undefeated in the Big Ten Conference at 8-0. He has won 11 straight matches dating back to March 1.
The Wolverines close out their home schedule next Saturday (April 12) with a 2:30 p.m. meeting against Notre Dame at the Varsity Tennis Center. Michigan will honor and recognize the accomplishments of senior Matko Maravic(Zagreb, Croatia/V. Gimnazija) prior to the match against the Fighting Irish. The match is the second part of a doubleheader, as the U-M womens team will host Penn State at 11 a.m. Fans who come out to show their support for both Michigan programs are invited to an all-day barbeque.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- #12 Ryan Rowe (Illinois) d. #52 Matko Maravic, 6-2, 6-4
No. 2 -- #90 Ruben Gonzales (Illinois) d. Jason Jung, 7-5, 6-1
No. 3 -- Marc Spicijaric (Illinois) d. Mike Sroczynski, 6-3, 6-2
No. 4 -- Andrew Mazlin (U-M) d. #94 Billy Heiser, 6-4, 7-5
No. 5 -- Waylon Chin (Illinois) d. Peter Aarts, 6-3, 1-6, 6-1
No. 6 -- Chris Madden (U-M) d. Brandon Davis, 4-6 6-4, 1-0(8)
Doubles
No. 1 -- #29 Heiser/Rowe (Illinois) d. #14 Jung/Sroczynski, 8-4
No. 2 -- Gonzales/Spicijaric (Illinois) d. #34 Maravic/George Navas, 8-4
No. 3 -- Madden/Mazlin (U-M) d. Chin/Davis, 8-7(3)
Order of Completion: Doubles 2-1-3, Singles 3-1-5-6-4-2
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
