Michigan
ITA Midwest Regional (Main Draw)
Hung Earns Runner-up Singles Finish at ITA Regional
10/26/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Sophomore Brian Hung (Hong Kong, China/Sagemont Virtual School) of the University of Michigan men's tennis team earned runner-up honors in the 64-player singles main draw at the 2004 Wilson/ITA Midwest Regional Championships at the Varsity Tennis Center. Hung the 12th seed, suffered a 6-3, 6-4 loss to No. 2 seed Ryler DeHeart of Illinois in the title match Tuesday afternoon (Oct. 26).
| | Hung won five matches in straight sets before falling to the No. 2 seed in the final. |
DeHeart got out in front early with a 5-0 lead in the first set, but Hung battled his way back by winning the next three games. DeHeart spoiled Hung's comeback effort by holding serve and taking the final game to clinch the first set, 6-3.
It was Hung who seized the early advantage in the second set, holding serve to win the first game. Hung held on to a 2-1 lead later on and had a great chance to go up by two games, but DeHeart fought his way back from a 40-15 deficit before pulling out a win to knot the score at 2-2. DeHeart kept the momentum by winning four straight points to take a 3-2 lead. In the next set, DeHeart once again erased a 40-15 Hung lead and won the game to go ahead 4-2.
After Hung made a comeback of his own, fighting back from a 40-15 deficit to win the next game and cut the lead to 4-3, DeHeart held serve and came within one game of clinching the championship. Hung staved off elimination by claiming four straight points and cutting DeHeart's lead to 5-4. Serving for the match, DeHeart took four of the next five points to win the set, 6-4, and the overall singles crown.
Hung defeated Notre Dame's Stephen Bass, 6-4, 7-6(3), in the semifinals to advance to play DeHeart in the championship. After Hung stormed out to a 4-1 lead in the first set, Bass battled back to knot the score at 4-4. Hung took the next two games to clinch the first set, 6-4, and earn an early leg up in the match.
It was a similar story in the second set, as Hung jumped out to a 4-1 advantage once again. Bass rebounded to win the next three games and tie the score at 4-4. Leading 5-4, Hung was unable to break Bass' serve and the two eventually played to a 6-6 draw. The ensuing tiebreaker set saw Hung come out on top by a 7-3 score to seal the victory and a trip to the finals.
Illinois also took home the doubles title, as DeHeart teamed with G.D. Jones to defeat Ohio State's Drew Eberly and Ross Wilson, 8-5, in the final.
The Wolverines will next be in action at the 2004 ITA National Indoor Championships, which Michigan will host Nov. 4-7 at the Varsity Tennis Center. In addition to Hung, U-M will be awarded one singles and one doubles wildcard entry as the host school.
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
