Michigan
Wisconsin
Hung, Maravic Lead Michigan to Road Win at Wisconsin
3/24/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
MADISON, Wis. -- The No. 28-ranked University of Michigan men's tennis team picked up an important Big Ten Conference road victory Saturday afternoon (March 24), defeating No. 48-ranked Wisconsin by a score of 4-3 on the outdoor courts at Nielsen Tennis Stadium. The Wolverines (12-4, 3-1 Big Ten) earned a doubles sweep and wins in three of the first four completed singles matches to clinch their third straight victory.
Freshmen George Navas (Tampa, Fla./Tampa Preparatory School) and Mike Sroczynski (Chatham, N.J./Laurel Springs School) recorded their 10th win of the dual match season, defeating Michael Dierberger and Brennen Phippen by an 8-4 margin at the No. 3 position to give the Maize and Blue an early advantage in the doubles competition. Navas and Sroczynski have been victorious in 12 of their 16 outings in 2006-07.
Michigan's No. 3-ranked doubles team of senior Brian Hung (Hong Kong, China/Sagemont Virtual School) and junior Matko Maravic (Zagreb, Croatia/V. Gimnazija) secured the doubles point with an 8-5 triumph over Mortiz Baumann and Nolan Polley at No. 1. With the win, Hung and Maravic clinched their second straight season with at least 20 overall doubles victories. The tandem stands at a team-best 20-5 overall, including a 12-3 dual match record at the top spot.
Senior Ryan Heller (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North HS) and sophomore Andrew Mazlin (Altamonte Springs, Fla./Lyman HS), who made their career debut in the national rankings at No. 35 this week, continued to steamroll through their opposition at the No. 2 slot. The pair posted an 8-5 win over Lachezar Kasarov and Jeremy Sonkin to wrap up the doubles sweep and improve their dual match record to 11-2. Heller and Mazlin have won five straight matches and carry an overall mark of 14-3.
The Wolverines have claimed the doubles point in 13 of their 16 matches this season. Since winning two of three matches in the season opener against Marquette on Jan. 20, Michigan has earned doubles sweeps against nine of its 15 opponents.
In his first singles match since Feb. 23, senior Steve Peretz (Brooklyn, N.Y./The Dwight School) recorded a convincing 6-1, 6-4 decision over Dierberger at No. 5 to provide U-M with a 2-0 lead. Peretz has found the win column in five of his seven dual matches this year.
Baumann put the Badgers (9-7, 2-3 Big Ten) on the scoreboard with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Heller at No. 3. The 55th-ranked Maravic swung the momentum back into Michigan's favor with a 7-6(2), 6-4 triumph over Polley at No. 1. Maravic leads the Wolverines in overall (21) and dual match (12) wins this season.
The 61st-ranked Hung's 0-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 comeback victory over the 98th-ranked Sonkin at No. 2 proved to be the clincher for the Maize and Blue. Hung has been victorious in five of seven matches at the No. 2 position this season, including three straight dating back to March 16.
Wisconsin pulled out wins on the Nos. 4 and 6 singles courts to round out the team scoring.
The Wolverines stay on the road to face Minnesota and Iowa. Michigan will meet the Golden Gophers next Saturday (March 31, 11 a.m. CDT) at the Baseline Tennis Center in Minneapolis, Minn. U-M will then close out the weekend with a match against the Hawkeyes on Sunday (April 1, 10 a.m. CDT) at the UI Recreation Building in Iowa City, Iowa.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- #55 Matko Maravic (U-M) d. Nolan Polley, 7-6(2), 6-4
No. 2 -- #61 Brian Hung (U-M) d. #98 Jeremy Sonkin, 0-6, 7-6(4), 6-2
No. 3 -- Mortiz Baumann (UW) d. Ryan Heller, 6-4, 6-4
No. 4 -- Lachezar Kasarov (UW) d. Andrew Mazlin, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
No. 5 -- Steve Peretz (U-M) d. Michael Dierberger, 6-1, 6-4
No. 6 -- Felipe Bellido (UW) d. Scott Bruckmann, 6-1, 6-1
Doubles
No. 1 -- #3 Hung/Maravic (U-M) d. Baumann/Polley, 8-5
No. 2 -- #35 Heller/Mazlin (U-M) d. Kasarov/Sonkin, 8-5
No. 3 -- George Navas/Mike Sroczynski (U-M) d. Dierberger/Brennen Phippen, 8-4
Order of Completion: Doubles 3-1-2, Singles 5-3-1-2-6-4
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
