Michigan
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Western Michigan
Michigan Blanks Broncos in Dual Opener
1/14/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Jan. 14, 2012
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Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Score: Michigan 7, Western Michigan 0
Records: U-M (1-0), WMU (2-1)
Next U-M Match: Saturday, Jan. 21 -- vs. Duke (Varsity Tennis Center), 6 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's tennis team claimed the doubles point and swept all six singles matches en route to a 7-0 shutout win over Western Michigan in its dual-match season opener Saturday evening (Jan. 14) at the Varsity Tennis Center.
The Wolverines won two-of-three doubles matches to garner the dual's first advantage, claiming victories at the No. 1 and No. 3 positions. After splitting the first two matches off the court, Michigan's rookie tandem of freshmen Alex Petrone (Staten Island, N.Y./Laurel Springs Prep) and Michael Zhu (Princeton, N.J./Keystone National HS) sealed the point, winning their last three games to claim an 8-3 decision.
In singles, Michigan took five-of-six matches in straight sets. Sophomore Barrett Franks (Christchurch, New Zealand/Shirley Boys' School) made quick work of Ross Vanderploeg at the No. 5 position (6-3, 6-1) as the first Wolverine off the court. Freshman Eli Brown (Toronto, Canada/City Academy), a last-minute addition to U-M's singles lineup, surrendered just three games in a 6-0, 6-3 win over Aaron Wong at No. 6.
Junior Evan King (Chicago, Ill./Kaplan Prep), ranked No. 6 nationally, clinched the match for Michigan at the top of the lineup, earning a 6-2, 6-4 decision over the Broncos' Nadin Indre. His fellow Wolverine captain, sophomore Shaun Bernstein (Plainview, N.Y./Old Bethpage JFK HS), finished just moments later with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Pablo Olivarez at the No. 2 spot.
Petrone and Zhu, the Wolverines' final pair in doubles play, rounded out Michigan's singles wins at the No. 3 and No. 4 positions, respectively. Petrone won in the third-set tiebreaker, defeating Simon Blomberg, 6-1, 3-6, 1-0 (4), while Zhu fought off four set points in the first to rally past Zeyad Montasser, 7-6 (4), 6-1.
The Wolverines will return to competition next Saturday (Jan. 21), hosting Duke, currently ranked No. 10, at 6 p.m. at the Varsity Tennis Center.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 6 Evan King (U-M) d. Nadin Indre (WMU), 6-2, 6-4
No. 2 -- Shaun Bernstein (U-M) d. Pablo Olivarez (WMU), 6-1, 6-3
No. 3 -- Alex Petrone (U-M) d. Simon Blomberg (WMU), 6-1, 3-6, 1-0 (4)
No. 4 -- Michael Zhu (U-M) d. Zeyad Montasser (WMU), 7-6 (4), 6-1
No. 5 -- Barrett Franks (U-M) d. Ross Vanderploeg (WMU), 6-3, 6-1
No. 6 -- Eli Brown (U-M) d. Aaron Wong (WMU), 6-0, 6-3
Doubles
No. 1 -- No. 22 Evan King/Shaun Bernstein (U-M) d. Nadin Indre/Ross Vanderploeg (WMU), 8-5
No. 2 -- Simon Blomberg/Pablo Olivarez (WMU) d. Barrett Franks/Alex Buzzi (U-M), 8-4
No. 3 -- Alex Petrone/Michael Zhu (U-M) d. Zeyad Montasser/Marc Swideler (WMU), 8-3
Order of completion: Singles 5-6-1-2-3-4; Doubles 1-2-3
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
