Michigan
North Carolina
Wolverines Edged by North Carolina in ITA Kick-Off Final
1/28/2018 5:09:00 PM | Men's Tennis
» No. 9-ranked Alex Knight defeated No. 2 William Blumberg, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 -- improving his win streak to eight matches.
» Michigan earned the doubles point with wins at Nos. 2 and 1.
» Michigan will host Florida on Friday, Feb. 9, in its dual-season home opener at the Varsity Tennis Center.
Site: Chapel Hill, N.C. (Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center)
Score: No. 3 North Carolina 4, No. 17 Michigan 2
Records: U-M (3-1), UNC (5-0)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Feb. 9 -- vs. Florida (Varsity Tennis Center), 6 p.m.
NORTH CAROLINA, N.C. -- The No. 17-ranked University of Michigan men's tennis team was defeated by No. 3 North Carolina, 4-2, on Sunday afternoon (Jan. 28) in the final round of the ITA Kick-Off. U-M senior Alex Knight defeated No. 2-ranked William Blumberg at No. 1 singles for the Wolverines' lone singles point of the match.
Michigan earned the doubles point with victories at Nos. 2 and 1. The duo of sophomore Connor Johnston and junior Myles Schalet earned its second win of the weekend, taking No. 2, 6-3. After dropping the decision at No. 3, the Maize and Blue claimed the first point of the match when its No. 19-ranked combination of seniors Knight and Runhao Hua earned a 7-5 victory at No. 1.
North Carolina went on to win three consecutive singles matches before Knight earned Michigan its second point of the afternoon at No. 1 singles. The Tar Heels claimed the match, however, with a come-from-behind win at No. 4 singles, taking the court 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Michigan will return home when it hosts Florida at the Varsity Tennis Center on Friday, Feb. 9, at 6 p.m.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- #9 Alex Knight (U-M) d. #2 William Blumberg (UNC), 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
No. 2 -- Benjamin Sigouin (UNC) d. #20 Runhao Hua (U-M), 6-4, 7-6 (3)
No. 3 -- #94 Robert Kelly (UNC) d. Mattias Siimar (U-M), 6-4, 6-3
No. 4 -- #70 Simon Soendergaard (UNC) d. Myles Schalet (U-M), 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
No. 5 -- #79 Josh Peck (UNC) vs. Carter Lin (U-M), 7-5, 4-6, 2-3 unfinished
No. 6 -- Blaine Boyden (UNC) d. Davis Crocker (U-M), 6-2, 6-4
Doubles
No. 1 -- #19 Knight/Hua (U-M) d. #3 Blumberg/Kelly (UNC), 7-5
No. 2 -- Johnston/Schalet (U-M) d. Peck/Sigouin (UNC), 6-3
No. 3 -- Kinger/Soendergaard (UNC) d. M. Siimar/K. Siimar (U-M), 6-4
Order of Completion: Doubles 2-3-1, Singles 6-3-2-1-4
Players Mentioned
