Michigan
NCAA Individual Championships
Styler Advances to NCAA Singles Semifinals
5/25/2023 7:38:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Site: Lake Nona, Fla. (USTA National Campus)
Event: NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships (Day 4 of 6)
Score: No Team Scoring
Next U-M Event: Friday, May 26 -- at NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships (Lake Nona, Fla.), TBA
LAKE NONA, Fla. -- Ondrej Styler punched his ticket to the NCAA Singles Championship semifinals with a straight-set win over top-ranked Eliot Spizzirri, becoming the first University of Michigan men's tennis player to reach the semis since 1987, as the Wolverine completed day four of action at the NCAA Championships on Thursday (May 25) at the USTA National Campus.
Styler won a methodical 6-4, 6-3 match over the top-ranked Spizzirri, handing him just his second singles loss of the calendar year. Styler saved two break points on his first service game to hold at 1-1. Following a pair of holds between the two, Styler grabbed a break point of his own on the deuce point. He converted and won the next game to consolidate the break at 4-2. Both players held the rest of the way as Styler won a drama-free first set.
He again saved break points in his first service game, coming through with an ace on the deuce point for a 1-1 ledger. He grabbed three break points of his own in the next set, following the script of his first set, converting and then holding for a 3-1 lead. Both players held over the next several games until Styler grabbed two match points on Spizzirri's serve. The Longhorn fought off the first one, but Styler's service return on the second induced a forehand wide to seal the straight-set win. Styler is the first Wolverine since Dan Goldberg finished runner-up in 1987 to reach the semifinals of the singles tournament.
Andrew Fenty dropped a 6-2, 6-4 match to No. 2-ranked Ethan Quinn. Fenty's first set featured three straight breaks to start, but Quinn was able to hold in the set's fourth game for a 3-1 lead. It was all Quinn from there as he grabbed another break en route to the 6-2 win.
Much like the first set, Fenty fell behind quickly at 2-0. He was in danger of falling behind two breaks at 3-0, but he was able to fight off multiple break points, the last when Quinn clipped the net and the ball fell back on his side. Fenty got the break back in the next game, converting again on the break point when Quinn's forehand hit the net and sailed wide. The set stayed on serve for several games, but Quinn got the break he needed at 4-3. That was all the room he needed to close out the straight-set win.
Fenty won 39 singles matches during his final season in the Maize and Blue, coming in at No. 3 on the single-season list.
In doubles action, Fenty and Gavin Young made a run to the quarterfinals before falling in straight sets to Georgia Tech. Both the second round of doubles and the quarters were held today due to inclement weather earlier in the week.
In the second round, Fenty and Young won a 7-5 first set against UCF, taking advantage of a timely break to get the win. The set stayed on serve throughout until the 11th game, when Michigan broke through. U-M won on the deuce point when UCF put an overhead in the net. Young held his serve during the next game, sealing the set with an ace up the middle.
The teams exchanged breaks to start the second set after the first set featured just one break of serve. After several holds between the two, UCF grabbed a 5-3 lead after another break of Michigan. The Wolverines wasted little time returning the favor to get back on serve in the ensuing game, winning on a ripped Young forehand winner.
The teams headed to a tiebreaker following three more holds. It was all Michigan in the tiebreaker as the Wolverines allowed just one point to advance to the quarterfinals.
In the quarterfinals, Fenty and Young ran into a hot Georgia Tech team. U-M fell in an early 3-0 hole in the first set and could not recover, dropping a 6-2 first set.
The team stayed on serve over the first few games of the second set before Georgia Tech broke for a 4-2 lead. U-M could not get another break, falling 6-3 in the second set.
Styler will play in Friday's (May 26) semifinals.
NCAA Singles Championship Quarterfinals
No. 8 Ondrej Styler (U-M) d. No. 1 Eliot Spizzirri (Texas), 6-4, 6-3
No. 2 Ethan Quinn (Georgia) d. No. 20 Andrew Fenty (U-M), 6-2, 6-4
NCAA Doubles Championship Second Round
No. 7 Gavin Young/Andrew Fenty (U-M) d. No. 35 Lleyton Cronje/Bogdan Pavel (UCF), 7-5, 7-6 (1)
NCAA Doubles Championship Quarterfinals
No. 30 Andres Martin/Marcus McDaniel (Georgia Tech) d. No. 7 Gavin Young/Andrew Fenty (U-M), 6-2, 6-3
