Michigan
California
Michigan Defeats California in ITA Kick-Off Weekend Opener
1/31/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Site: Chapel Hill, N.C. (Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center)
Event: ITA Kick-Off Weekend (Day 1 of 2)
Score: #14 Michigan 5, #25 California 2
Records: U-M (3-0), Cal (2-1)
Next U-M Match: Sunday, Feb. 1 -- vs. Virginia Commonwealth at ITA Kick-Off Weekend (Chapel Hill, N.C.), 9:30 a.m.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The No. 14-ranked University of Michigan men's tennis team opened the ITA Kick-Off Weekend with a solid 5-2 victory over No. 25-ranked California on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 31) in a neutral-site match at North Carolina's Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center. The Wolverines (3-0) won their third straight doubles point and captured wins on four of the six singles courts to hand the Golden Bears (2-1) their first loss of the season and move within one victory of advancing to the prestigious ITA National Team Indoor Championship.
Sophomore Chris Madden (Lotus, Calif./Ponderosa HS) and sophomore/freshman Drew Daniel (Overland Park, Kan./Laurel Springs School) got off to a blazing start in doubles, securing an easy 8-2 win over Jonathan Dahan and Bozhidar Katsarov at No. 3 to give Michigan the early momentum. The U-M pair is a perfect 3-0 in dual-match play this year.
Senior Andrew Mazlin (Altamonte Springs, Fla./Lyman HS) and junior George Navas (Tampa, Fla./Tampa Preparatory School) were able to outlast Nick Andrews and Kallim Stewart by an 8-6 score at No. 2 to give the Wolverines a 1-0 lead on the team scoreboard.
Mazlin also presented problems for Andrews on the singles court, posting a 6-3, 6-4 victory at No. 3 to put Michigan on top 2-0. It marked Mazlin's 50th career dual-match singles win.
California responded minutes later with a win at No. 2, but Madden put the Wolverines in great position with a 7-6(7), 6-1 decision over Eoin Heavey at No. 5. Madden has won all but six of his 25 career matches in dual-match play.
Competing in just his second career dual singles match, Daniel battled back to defeat Katsarov at No. 6 (3-6, 6-1, 6-2) and clinch the team victory for the Maize and Blue. Sophomore Jason Jung (Torrance, Calif./West Torrance HS) provided an insurance win at No. 1 as he closed out 49th-ranked Stewart by a score of 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 for U-M's fifth and final team point. Daniel and Jung both hold a three-match winning streak and are tied for the team lead in overall singles wins with 10.
The Wolverines will meet Virginia Commonwealth on Sunday (Feb. 1) at 9:30 a.m. at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center, with the winner advancing to the 16-team ITA National Team Indoor Championship, to be held Feb. 13-16 at the Midtown Tennis Club in Chicago, Ill. The Rams earned a 4-2 victory over host North Carolina in this afternoon's opening round.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- Jason Jung (U-M) d. #49 Kallim Stewart, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4
No. 2 -- #72 Pedro Zerbini (Cal) d. Mike Sroczynski, 6-4, 6-0
No. 3 -- Andrew Mazlin (U-M) d. Nick Andrews, 6-3, 6-4
No. 4 -- Jonathan Dahan (Cal) d. Peter Aarts, 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(1)
No. 5 -- Chris Madden (U-M) d. Eoin Heavey, 7-6(7), 6-1
No. 6 -- Drew Daniel (U-M) d. Bozhidar Katsarov, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2
Doubles
No. 1 -- #8 Jung/Sroczynski (U-M) vs. #16 Geoff Chizever/Zerbini, 5-5 (unfinished)
No. 2 -- Mazlin/George Navas (U-M) d. Andrews/Stewart, 8-6
No. 3 -- Daniel/Madden (U-M) d. Dahan/Katsarov, 8-2
Order of Completion: Doubles 3-2, Singles 3-2-5-6-1-4
Players Mentioned
