Michigan
Hawai'i
Wolverines Shut Out Hawai'i in Rain-Shortened Match
3/2/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
March 2, 2012
Site: Honolulu, Hawaii (UH Tennis Complex)
Score: #20 Michigan 4, Hawaii 0
Records: U-M (6-4), Hawaii (1-5)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, March 10 -- at Wake Forest (Winston-Salem, N.C.), 11 a.m.
HONOLULU, Hawai'i -- The No. 20-ranked University of Michigan men's tennis team hung through several rain delays to claim four singles victories en route to a 4-0 shutout win at Hawaii on Thursday (March 1) at the UH Tennis Complex. Due to the inclement weather, the match started with the singles competition and was called after the Wolverines clinched the victory. Doubles was not contested.
Sophomore Barrett Franks (Christchurch, New Zealand/Shirley Boys' School) and junior Evan King (Chicago, Ill./Kaplan Prep) won quickly in straight sets from the No. 5 and No. 1 singles positions, respectively, to give Michigan its early advantage. Franks earned his second straight dual victory with a 6-4, 6-2 decision against Charlie Rice, while 10th-ranked King defeated Jonathan Brooklyn, 6-2, 6-2, to claim his third straight win. Kings leads the Wolverine team with an 8-2 dual-match record, while Franks improved to 7-3.
Sophomore Shaun Bernstein (Plainview, N.Y./Old Bethpage JFK HS) rallied after dropping the first set against Chas Okamoto at the No. 2 position, winning handily in the final two to claim a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 victory.
Freshman Michael Zhu (Princeton, N.J./Keystone National HS) sealed the dual win from the No. 4 spot, claiming a 6-3, 7-5 decision over Nils Schuhmann for his fifth dual win. It was Zhu's first clinching performance of the season.
Freshmen Alex Petrone (Staten Island, N.Y./Laurel Springs Prep) and Eli Brown (Toronto, Ontario/City Academy) were in the third set on courts No. 3 and No. 6 when the match ended. Petrone was looking for a late break game, while Brown was serving at 30-15 to even the set score at 6-6.
The Wolverines remain on the road next Saturday (March 10), traveling to Winston-Salem, N.C., to square off against Wake Forest for their non-conference finale. The match is slated for an 11 a.m. start at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 10 Evan King (U-M) d. Jonathan Brooklyn (Hawaii), 6-2, 6-2
No. 2 -- Shaun Bernstein (U-M) d. Chas Okamoto (Hawaii), 5-7, 6-2, 6-2
No. 3 -- Alex Petrone (U-M) vs. Dmytro Kovalyov (Hawaii), 4-6, 7-6 (1), 3-2 abandoned
No. 4 -- Michael Zhu (U-M) d. Nils Schuhmann (Hawaii), 6-3, 7-5
No. 5 -- Barrett Franks (U-M) d. Charlie Rice (Hawaii), 6-4, 6-2
No. 6 -- Eli Brown (U-M) vs. Jared Spiker (Hawaii), 7-5, 2-6, 5-6 abandoned
Order of Completion: Singles 5-1-2-4
N O T E S
• With today's win, Michigan improved to 3-0 in the all-times series against Hawai'i.
• The Wolverines boast three shutout wins on the season. They previously defeated Western Michigan, 7-0, in the season opener and Maryland, 4-0, at the ITA Kickoff Weekend.
• Freshman Michael Zhu is the sixth different U-M player to clinch a victory this season.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Bruce Berque
On today's win ... "It was a long match. From start to finish, with all the delays, I think it took nearly five hours. Our guys have been exposed to a lot of different situations lately, and this was another unique situation. They are figuring out how to play in uncomfortable situations. I thought they did a great job with all of the rain delays. Each time they went back onto the court, they were ready to get a good start. I think the match could have been a lot closer than the 4-0 score indicated. Eli [Brown] and Alex Petrone were both in battles, and Mike [Zhu] had to work really hard to close out that match. I think they did a great job to finish, and I really think our team is getting better all the time. We're looking forward to taking a day off tomorrow in Hawaii then getting back to work next week to prepare for Wake Forest."
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
