Michigan
DePaul
U-M Singles Dominate in Season-Opening Victory over DePaul
1/15/2024 2:32:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Score: #14 Michigan 6, DePaul 1
Records: U-M (1-0), DePaul (0-1)
Next U-M Event: Thursday, Jan. 18 -- at Tennessee (Knoxville, Tenn.), 4:30 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's tennis team (1-0) opened the 2024 spring season with a 6-1 win over DePaul University (0-1) on Monday (Jan. 15) at the Varsity Tennis Center.
The Wolverines didn't drop a set in total singles domination. Bjorn Swenson made quick work of Matteo Iaquinto at No. 3 singles, 6-1, 6-3. Tied 1-1 in the first set, he won the last five games to take the 6-1 opener. In the second, he opened up with a 5-1 advantage and gave up two games before closing out Iaquinto 6-3.
On the next court over, No. 9 ranked Gavin Young earned matching 6-1 wins over Leon Huck. It marked his first appearance and first wins at the No. 1 position as Michigan took over the lead in the team score, 2-1.
No. 61-ranked Jacob Bickersteth notched his 10th singles win over the season, taking down Laurentiu Mandocescu 6-3, 6-1 at No. 2 singles. He went up 4-1 and had three break points in the first set. After trading games in the second set, it was all Bickersteth as he went on a 5-0 run to close out 6-1.
Will Cooksey clinched the win for the Wolverines on No. 5 singles. Knotted at 3-3 in the first set, he won the final three games to take the set 6-3. He had another big finish in the second set winning the two final games for the 6-4 decision.
Patorn Hanchaikul won his fourth straight singles match with 6-2, 6-3 scores at No. 4 singles.
Mert Oral capped off the perfect singles play with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Elias Anwar on No. 6.
Cooksey and Nicholas Steiglehner cruised to a 6-2 win at No. 3 doubles. The pair jumped out to a 3-1 lead with a break, and added another break at 5-2 to capture its first dual match of the season -- to improve to 5-2 on the season.
Swenson and Bickersteth lost the last three points after being knotted at 3-3 at No. 2 doubles, falling 6-3 with the point coming down to Young and Hanchaikul on court 1. Young/Hanchaikul broke on the opening set and held a 3-1 lead before the Blue Demons went on a run coming within one, 4-3. The duo from Chicago won the next three to take the match, 6-4.
The Wolverines will face a tough test on Thursday (Jan. 18) when they travel to Knoxville to take on No. 6 Tennessee. Match time is set for 4:30 p.m.
Following are match-by-match results
Singles
No. 1 – No. 9 Gavin Young (U-M) d. Leon Huck (DU) 6-1, 6-1
No. 2 – No. 61 Jacob Bickersteth (U-M) d. Laurentiu Mandocescu (DU) 6-3, 6-1
No. 3 – Bjorn Swenson (U-M) d. Matteo Iaquinto (DU) 6-1, 6-3
No. 4 – Patorn Hanchaikul (U-M) d. Shourya Verma (DU) 6-2, 6-3
No. 5 – Will Cooksey (U-M) d. Pablo Torres Almedia (DU) 6-3, 6-4
No. 6 – Mert Oral (U-M) vs. Elias Anwar (DU) 7-5, 6-4
Doubles
No. 1 – Shourya Verma/Jona Gitschel (DU) d. Gavin Young/Patorn Hanchaikul (U-M) 6-4
No. 2 –  Laurentiu Mandocescu/Leon Huck (DU) d. Bjorn Swenson/Jacob Bickersteth (U-M) 6-3
No. 3 – Will Cooksey/Nicholas Steiglehner (U-M) d. Matteo Iaquinto/Pablo Torres Almedia (DU) 6-2
Order of Completion:Â Doubles 3-2-1; Singles 3-1-2-5-4-6
Players Mentioned
