Michigan
Wisconsin
Michigan Shuts Out Wisconsin in Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals
4/24/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Site: Madison, Wis. (Nielsen Tennis Stadium)
Event: Big Ten Tournament (Quarterfinals)
Score: #18 Michigan 4, Wisconsin 0
Records: U-M (16-5), Wisconsin (8-15)
Next U-M Match: Saturday, April 25 -- vs. Illinois at Big Ten Tournament Semifinals (Madison, Wis.), 2 p.m. CDT
MADISON, WIS. -- The No. 18-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team earned a convincing 4-0 victory over Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, held Friday (April 25) at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium. The second-seeded Wolverines (16-5) claimed their seventh straight doubles point and posted wins in the first three singles matches completed to clinch their sixth straight victory over the Badgers (8-15) and advance to the semifinals of the conference tournament for the sixth consecutive season.
Senior Lindsey Howard(Richmond, Va./Mills E. Godwin HS) and sophomore Denise Muresan(Lincolnshire, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson HS) stormed out of the gates and ran away with an 8-1 win over Angela Chupa and Aleksandra Markovic at No. 3 to give U-M the early momentum in doubles. Wisconsin responded with a big upset victory at No. 1 as Elizabeth Carpenter and Jessica Seyferth outlasted Michigan's No. 27-ranked tandem of senior Chisako Sugiyama(Parsippany, N.J./The Montclair Kimberley Academy) and junior Tania Mahtani(Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula HS) by an 8-6 score. However, sophomores Whitney Taney(Edina, Minn./Edina HS) and Rika Tatsuno(Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula HS) gave the Wolverines a 1-0 lead on the team scoreboard with an 8-4 triumph over Emese Kardhordo and Katya Mirnova at No. 2, marking the U-M pair's team-high ninth straight win.
Tatsuno, who is currently ranked 97th in the national singles rankings, provided Michigan with a 2-0 advantage thanks to a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Mirnova at No. 2 singles. Taney followed suit, securing a dominating 6-1, 6-1 decision over Chupa at No. 4. Mahtani got her revenge on the singles court as she closed out Kardhordo by a score of 6-0, 6-3 at No. 5 to send the Wolverines to the next round. U-M was on the verge of winning all three of the remaining matches when the team outcome was decided.
The Wolverines will meet third-seeded Illinois in the semifinals tomorrow (Saturday, April 25) at 2 p.m. CDT. The Fighting Illini drew a first-round bye and earned a 4-1 quarterfinal victory over No. 6-seed Purdue.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- #62 Chisako Sugiyama (U-M) vs. Elizabeth Carpenter, 6-1, 5-2 (unfinished)
No. 2 -- #97 Rika Tatsuno (U-M) d. Katya Mirnova, 6-4, 6-2
No. 3 -- Denise Muresan (U-M) vs. Jessica Seyferth, 6-3, 5-2 (unfinished)
No. 4 -- Whitney Taney (U-M) d. Angela Chupa, 6-1, 6-1
No. 5 -- Tania Mahtani (U-M) d. Emese Kardhordo, 6-0, 6-3
No. 6 -- Michelle Sulahian (U-M) d. Erin Jobe, 6-1, 4-3 (unfinished)
Doubles
No. 1 -- Carpenter/Seyferth (Wisconsin) d. #27 Mahtani/Sugiyama, 8-6
No. 2 -- Taney/Tatsuno (U-M) d. Kardhordo/Mirnova, 8-4
No. 3 -- Lindsey Howard/Muresan (U-M) d. Chupa/Aleksandra Markovic, 8-1
Order of Completion: Doubles 3-1-2, Singles 2-4-5
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 645-0045
Players Mentioned
