Michigan
Ball State
Michigan Blanks Visiting Ball State to Open Dual Slate
1/11/2025 8:35:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Score: #25 Michigan 7, Ball State 0
Records: U-M (1-0), Ball State (0-1)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Jan. 25 -- vs. Auburn - ITA Kick-Off (Knoxville, Tenn.), 9 a.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's tennis team recorded a perfect 7-0 victory in its first dual match of the season against Ball State on Saturday (Jan. 11) at the Varsity Tennis Center.
The Wolverines got things started with Patorn Hanchaikul and Benjamin Kittay not giving up a game at No. 2 doubles in a 6-0 victory. Gavin Young and Bjorn Swenson went up 3-0 at No. 2 doubles and finished off with a 6-2 win to secure the doubles point. Alex Cairo and Will Cooksey sat tied 4-4 at No. 3, when the match was abandoned.
No. 113-ranked Hanchaikul wasted little time in grabbing his first dual win of the season, winning 6-0, 6-2 over Jenson Bicanic at No. 5. Kittay was not long behind with his first dual win as a Wolverine with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Jacks Lancaster at No. 2 singles. No. 59 Young got an early test at No. 1 against Nathan Webster. Knotted at 3-3 in the first set, Young won the next nine games to take 6-3, 6-0 decisions to clinch the four points Michigan needed for the team win.
Swenson defeated Sajin Smith 6-3, 6-0 and No. 3 and Nicholas Steiglehner topped Broc Fletcher 6-2, 6-2 at No. 6 to make it 6-0 Michigan.
Cooksey finished off the match winning in a 10-point tiebreaker at No. 4 against Drew Hayward. Cooksey won 6-1 in the first set before Hayward took a 7-6 (5) second set. In the tiebreaker, Cooksey had a chance to put Hayward away at 9-8, but Hayward grabbed the next two points to put Cooksey on notice. The senior responded with three straight points to win the tiebreaker 12-10.
Michigan's next match will take place in two weeks (Jan. 25), when they travel to Knoxville, Tenn., to participate in the ITA Kick-Off against Auburn at 9 a.m.
Following are match-by-match results
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 59 Gavin Young (U-M) d. Nathaniel Webster (Ball State), 6-3, 6-0
No. 2 -- Benjamin Kittay (U-M) d. Jacks Lancaster (Ball State), 6-3, 6-4
No. 3 -- Bjorn Swenson (U-M) d. Sajin Smith (Ball State), 6-3, 6-0
No. 4 -- Will Cooksey (U-M) d. Drew Hayward (Ball State), 6-1, 6-7 (5), 12-10
No. 5 -- No. 113 Patorn Hanchaikul (U-M) d. Jenson Bicanic (Ball State), 6-0, 6-2
No. 6 -- Nicholas Steiglehner (U-M) d. Broc Fletcher (Ball State), 6-2, 6-2
Doubles
No. 1 -- Gavin Young/Bjorn Swenson (U-M) d. Jacks Lancaster/Mason Tran (Ball State), 6-2
No. 2 -- Benjamin Kittay/Patorn Hanchaikul (U-M) d. Ian Brady/Petar Petrovic (Ball State), 6-0
No. 3 -- Will Cooksey/Alex Cairo (U-M) vs. Nathaniel Webster/Anthony Shalakov (Ball State), 4-4 abandoned
Order of Completion: Doubles 2-1, Singles 5-2-1-3-6-4
Players Mentioned
