Michigan
NCAA Individual Championships
King, Jung Eliminated from NCAA Individual Championships
5/27/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
May 27, 2011
Site: Palo Alto, Calif. (Taube Tennis Stadium)
Event: NCAA Individual Championships (Singles/Doubles Round of 16)
Result: No Team Scoring
Next U-M Match: Season Complete
PALO ALTO, Calif. -- University of Michigan men's tennis sophomore Evan King (Chicago, Ill./Kaplan) and senior Jason Jung (Torrance, Calif./West Torrance) saw their run in the NCAA Individual Championships end in the round of 16 on Friday (May 27) at the Taube Tennis Stadium.
In singles, King fell to fifth-seeded Blaz Rola (Ohio State), 6-3, 6-0. The sophomore's season in singles play comes to a close with a 30-9 record, the best single-season record for any Michigan player in 13 years.
It was the third time King played Rola this season, with Rola winning at the ITA All-American Qualifying draw on Oct. 5 and in the semifinals of the ITA/Midwest Regional Championships on Oct. 25. In those prior meetings, King won the first set against Rola but lost the last two. King lost in straight sets to Rola on Friday, the first time he had lost in that fashion since Jan. 28 against then-No. 9 Henrique Cunha (Duke). Of King's nine losses all season, only three came in straight sets. In addition, King falls to 9-2 in all NCAA Championships matches for his career (team and individual -- 4-1 in singles, 5-1 in doubles).
Rola led 3-2 after the first five games of the first set as each player held serve. The tide turned in the next game, as Rola broke King to go up 4-2. King got a game back to make the score 5-3, but Rola served out in the ensuing game to take the first set, 6-3. Rola clamped down in the second set and did not allow King to get comfortable, winning the match, 6-3, 6-0.
King returned to the court later Friday for his second-round doubles match with Jung against Baylor's fifth-seeded team of Roberto Maytin and John Peers. The Wolverines' duo held a 5-3 lead in the first set, but Baylor mounted a comeback, taking the next three games to go up 6-5. Michigan held serve to tie at 6-6, sending the set to a tiebreaker. With the tiebreaker tied at 5-5, the Baylor pair won two straight points to win the first set, 7-6 (5). Baylor controlled the pace of the match in the second set, winning 6-2 to triumph.
The loss in doubles means the end of the season for U-M, and the fantastic career for Jung, who fell just one win shy of tying the program's all-time record for career doubles wins (90). Over his four-year career, Jung was 83-64 (singles) and 89-60 (doubles), a two-time All-Big Ten selection, and the 2010 recipient of the ITA Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship.
The following are match-by-match results:
SINGLES
Evan King
Wednesday, May 25 (First Round) -- d. No. 12 Tim Puetz (Auburn), 6-3, 6-0
Thursday, May 26 (Round of 32) -- d. No. 26 Gonzalo Escobar (Texas Tech), 3-6, 6-1, 6-1
Friday, May 27 (Round of 16) -- l. No. 4 Blaz Rola (Ohio State), 6-3, 6-0
DOUBLES
Jason Jung/Evan King
Thursday, May 26 (First Round) -- d. No. 32 Adrien Puget/Alex Brigham (UCLA), 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
Friday, May 27 (Round of 16) -- l. No. 5 Roberto Maytin/John Peers (Baylor), 7-6 (5), 6-2
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Bruce Berque
On Evan King's tournament and season ... "Evan has had a fantastic season, no doubt. He's improved in a lot of ways, and I was hoping that would show up at this tournament. These guys put a lot of pressure on themselves at this tournament when some of them haven't nailed down All-America honors. Evan wanted to win and do the best he could, which is great to hear. He played some good tennis towards the end of the year after really taking a big step forward last summer and during the fall. He didn't play as well today, but a lot of credit goes to Ohio State for that. Evan's taken big strides, and I know he'll use this as momentum into the summer where he'll take on a full slate of competitive tennis. He's fully capable of getting even better and hopefully he'll come back next year and take another step."
On Jason Jung's legacy at Michigan and his relationship on Evan King ... "Jason leaves a very, very positive legacy. The most important one resides with his influence to each returning player, the most obvious one being Evan. Jason was clearly our team leader this year. He just led so well, not only with his play on the court, but his sportsmanship. Jason was the No. 1 guy last year and Evan was the No. 2, and Jason knew that Evan was going to be a great player at Michigan, but he was never worried about Evan taking his spot. If anything, he took ownership in trying to help Evan be the best he could. There's no doubt that's a big part of Evan's success. Jason's maturity and work ethic are second to none, and there's no doubt in my mind that he'll stay close to the program and be a big supporter in years to come. We will miss him, and there will be a big void that we'll have to fill next year, but he's a terrific young man and we wish him the very best."
Contact: Brad Rudner (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
