Sroczynski Claims Singles Title at ITA Summer Circuit
7/9/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Sophomore Mike Sroczynski(Chatham, N.J./Laurel Springs School) of the University of Michigan men's tennis team captured the singles championship during the first leg of the 2007 ITA Midwest Summer Circuit, which U-M hosted this past Saturday through Monday (July 7-9) at the Varsity Tennis Center. Sroczynski led a contingent of six Wolverines that posted a combined singles record of 22-5 during the three-day event. Five U-M players advanced to the quarterfinal round of the tournament; the semifinals featured three Wolverines, and it was an all Maize and Blue title match that pitted Sroczynski against classmate George Navas(Tampa, Fla./Tampa Preparatory School).
Sroczynski, the No. 2 seed in the 64-player draw, earned a first-round bye and then knocked off Western Michigan's Bryan Norville by a score of 7-6(5), 7-6(3) to advance. Two more straight set victories -- over Michigan State's Brendan Kinkopf (6-2, 6-3) and DePaul's Benjamin Hartman (6-3, 6-4) -- put Sroczynski into the semifinal round against Michigan teammate Mike DePietro(Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser HS). DePietro came out strong and took the first set by a 7-6(4) margin, but Sroczynski evened the match with a 6-3 win in the second frame. He then pulled away with a 10-0 victory in the super-tiebreaker to secure a trip to the title match against fourth-seeded Navas.
Sroczynski completed his championship run by outlasting Navas by a score of 7-6(5), 6-4. Navas earned a bid to the final after defeating five straight opponents, including top seed Andrew Roth of Notre Dame (6-3, 6-4) in the semifinals.
DePietro's run to the semifinals included three straight-set victories, including a 7-6(3), 6-2 decision over U-M teammate Peter Aarts(Pound Ridge, N.Y./Fox Lane HS) in the quarterfinals.
Freshman Chris Madden(Lotus, Calif./Ponderosa HS) nearly made it an all-Michigan semifinal, as he posted straight-set wins in the first three rounds before falling to Roth by just a few points in the quarterfinals, 7-6(6), 2-6, 1-0(11).
Aarts and DePietro performed strongly in the 32-team doubles competition, pairing together for a pair of dominating wins before falling to eventual champions Franco Mata and Kurt Zaske (8-6) in the semifinals.
Following are match-by-match results:
SINGLES
Peter Aarts
First Round -- d. Nathan Eddy (Ann Arbor, Mich.), 6-1, 6-4
Second Round -- d. Jay Miller (Toledo), 6-3, 6-0
Third Round -- d. David Seyferth (Northwestern), 6-3, 6-3
Quarterfinals -- l. Mike DePietro (Michigan), 7-6(3), 6-2
Finished with a 3-1 record
Mike DePietro
First Round -- d. Jonathan Luce (St. Bonaventure), 6-0, 6-0
Second Round -- d. Dan Buikema (Alabama), w/o
Third Round -- d. Chris Nowak (Southern Illinois), 6-1, 6-2
Quarterfinals -- d. Peter Aarts (Michigan), 7-6(3), 6-2
Semifinals -- l. Mike Sroczynski (Michigan), 6-7(4), 6-3, 1-0(0)
Finished with a 4-1 record
Chris Madden
First Round -- d. Ted Kelly (Stanford), 6-4, 7-5
Second Round -- d. Chris Clark (Toledo), 7-5, 6-1
Third Round -- d. Jordan Knue (Illinois), 6-1, 6-2
Quarterfinals -- l. Andrew Roth (Notre Dame), 7-6(6), 2-6, 1-0(11)
Finished with a 3-1 record
George Navas
First Round -- d. Jason Norville (Michigan State), 6-0, 6-0
Second Round -- d. Mike O'Connell (Ohio State), 6-3, 6-2
Third Round -- d. Franco Mata (Florida Gulf Coast), 2-6, 6-3, 1-0(4)
Quarterfinals -- d. Alex Emery (Alabama Birmingham), 6-2, 6-2
Semifinals -- d. Andrew Roth (Notre Dame), 6-3, 6-4
Championship Match -- l. Mike Sroczynski (Michigan), 7-6(5), 6-4
Finished as runner-up with a 5-1 record
Matt Parks
First Round -- d. Tim Hewitt (Calvin College), 6-0, 6-0
Second Round -- d. Neil Lesinski (Western Illinois), 6-4, 6-4
Third Round -- l. Andrew Roth (Notre Dame), 6-2, 6-2
Finished with a 2-1 record
Mike Sroczynski
First Round -- Bye
Second Round -- d. Bryan Norville (Western Michigan), 7-6(5), 7-6(3)
Third Round -- d. Brendan Kinkopf (Michigan State), 6-2, 6-3
Quarterfinals -- d. Benjamin Hartman (DePaul), 6-3, 6-4
Semifinals -- d. Mike DePietro (Michigan), 6-7(4), 6-3, 1-0(0)
Championship Match -- d. George Navas (Michigan), 7-6(5), 6-4
Finished as champion with a 5-0 record
DOUBLES
Peter Aarts/Mike DePietro
First Round -- Bye
Second Round -- d. RK Bacalla (Western Michigan)/Neil Lesinski (Western Illinois), 8-0
Quarterfinals -- d. Matt Parks (Michigan)/Griff Nienberg (Purdue), 8-3
Semifinals -- l. Franco Mata (Florida Gulf Coast)/Kurt Zaske (Purdue), 8-6
Finished with a 2-1 record
George Navas/Mike Sroczynski
First Round -- Bye
Second Round -- d. Mariusz Adamski (Wake Forest)/Ted Kelly (Stanford), 9-8(5)
Quarterfinals -- l. Franco Mata (Florida Gulf Coast)/Kurt Zaske (Purdue), 8-6
Finished with a 1-1 record
Chris Madden/William Gardner (Michigan State)
First Round -- d. Cyrus Jadun (Kalamazoo College)/Kirk Da Silva (Okemos, Mich.), 8-5
Second Round -- d. Jared Miller/Jay Miller (Toledo) w/o
Quarterfinals -- l. Patrick Callaghan/Andrew Roth (Notre Dame), 9-8(4)
Finished with a 2-1 record
Matt Parks/Griff Nienberg (Purdue)
First Round -- d. Peter Keshtkar (Dartmouth)/Josh Stiles (Chelsea, Mich.), 8-2
Second Round -- d. Nathan Eddy (Ann Arbor, Mich.)/Dean Masuda (Dearborn, Mich.), w/o
Quarterfinals -- l. Peter Aarts/Mike DePietro (Michigan), 8-3
Finished with a 2-1 record
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
