Michigan
Michigan State
Michigan Cruises to Shutout of MSU in Big Ten Opener
3/17/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
March 17, 2012
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Score: #25 Michigan 7, Michigan State 0
Records: U-M (8-4, 1-0 Big Ten), Michigan State (11-7, 0-2 Big Ten)
Attendance: 684
Next U-M Event: Friday, March 23 -- at Wisconsin (Madison, Wis.), 6 p.m. CDT
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 25-ranked University of Michigan men's tennis team won its fourth consecutive match, shutting out in-state rival Michigan State, 7-0, in the Big Ten opener on Saturday (March 17) at the Varsity Tennis Center. The Wolverines improve to 94-19 all-time against the Spartans and have won the last nine meetings between the two schools.
Michigan won its eighth doubles point this season to start the match. The nation's 15th-ranked tandem of junior Evan King (Chicago, Ill./Kaplan) and sophomore Shaun Bernstein (Plainview, N.Y./Plainview Old Bethpage JFK) had little trouble dispatching Aaron Pfister and Drew Lied, winning, 8-3, to give Michigan the advantage for the point. The Spartans grabbed the equalizer at No. 3, meaning the point came down to No. 2. Sophomores Barrett Franks (Christchurch, New Zealand/Shirley Boys') and Alex Buzzi (Key Biscayne, Fla./Gulliver Prep) held the lead, 7-5, and were serving for the match, but Michigan State rallied to win the next two games and tie the match at 7-7. Buzzi and Franks won the ensuing game, but the Spartan duo once again knotted things up, sending the match to a tiebreaker, where the Michigan prevailed, 9-8 (3), to clinch the doubles point for the Wolverines.
King was the first one off the court in singles, taking less than an hour to defeat Pfister, 6-0, 6-2, at the No. 1 spot. Buzzi was the match's next victor, claiming a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Gijs Linders (MSU) at No. 6, putting Michigan ahead 3-0. Franks clinched the match victory with a come-from-behind effort in the second set, beating Lied, 6-2, 7-6 (4), at No. 5.
Alex Petrone (Staten Island, N.Y./Laurel Springs Prep) and Bernstein won their matches within one minute of each other. Petrone beat Denis Bogatov (MSU) at No. 3, 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-3, while Bernstein overcame Ronne Hulewicz (MSU) in his own three-set match, winning 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. Freshman Michael Zhu (Princeton, N.J./Keystone National HS) preserved the shutout, winning 7-5, 6-4 at No. 4.
The Wolverines return to the court next Friday (March 23), as they travel to Madison, Wis., to take on Wisconsin. The match will begin at 6 p.m. CDT.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 10 Evan King (U-M) d. Aaron Pfister (MSU), 6-0, 6-2
No. 2 -- Shaun Bernstein (U-M) d. Ronnie Hulewicz (MSU), 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
No. 3 -- Alex Petrone (U-M) d. Denis Bogatov (MSU), 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-3
No. 4 -- Michael Zhu (U-M) d. Austin Brooks (MSU), 7-5, 6-4
No. 5 -- Barrett Franks (U-M) d. Drew Lied (MSU), 6-2, 7-6 (4)
No. 6 -- Alex Buzzi (U-M) d. Gijs Linders (MSU), 7-5, 6-3
Doubles
No. 1 -- No. 15 Evan King/Shaun Bernstein (U-M) d. Aaron Pfister/Drew Lied (MSU), 8-3
No. 2 -- Barrett Franks/Alex Buzzi (U-M) d. Austin Brooks/Harry Jadun (MSU), 9-8 (3)
No. 3 -- Gijs Linders/Denis Bogatov (MSU) d. Alex Petrone/Michael Zhu (U-M), 8-6
Order of Completion: Singles: 1-6-5-3-2-4; Doubles: 1-3-2
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Bruce Berque
On Alex Buzzi ... "I thought he got off to a great start today, looked sharp, then it just looked like he lost his focus a little bit. He bounced back, though, and didn't lose his composure, and finished the first set well. In the second set, he was staying on top of him throughout. He has a unique game, which gives people a difficult time. We just need to continue working with him on playing every point the same and not losing focus."
On doubles ... "It seemed to me like we were a little nervous today. It was our first Big Ten match. Alex Buzzi played well and consistently. He has special doubles skills, and they showed themselves today, especially on big points, and really carried that team through in the end. Even when they weren't playing well, they bent, but didn't break, which is what we've talked about a lot."
U-M Junior Evan King
On his match ... "I definitely played well out there. I got off to a great start. I think I won the first 10 games in a row. I've been really focusing in practice. And let's face it. It's Big Ten season right now. I'm trying to run the table this year and get Big Ten Player of the Year, so this is definitely a good start to that."
On the win over Michigan State meaning more ... "It's a great feeling, knowing that it's Michigan State. They're a good team and it's good to win any Big Ten match like we did today, but it feels even better because it's Michigan State. They are our biggest rival outside of Ohio State."
On the advantages of playing outdoors as opposed to indoors ... "Indoors is definitely easier because you don't have to worry about the elements. There's no sun. There's no wind. But it was great playing out here today. The weather was perfect, the wind was calm, and we had a great turnout from our fans."
U-M Sophomore Alex Buzzi
On his singles victory ... "It's pretty sweet actually. It's a good win. I played this guy twice already. I lost to him earlier in the fall, and beat him last time, but it's always tough. It was good to close him out pretty quick."
On his doubles match at No. 2 ... "We were up a break, and they came up with some really good returns, and ended up tying it. We just kept doing what we're doing. We didn't change much, and luckily we got the break."
On playing outdoors ... "This was my first outdoor match here at home. It was a little different for me and is something I need to get accustomed to. I don't think the weather affected us too much."
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
