Michigan
Indiana
Wolverines Beat No. 23 Indiana to Cap Perfect Homestand
4/1/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 1, 2012
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| Highlights 
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Score: Michigan 5, #23 Indiana 2
Records: U-M (11-5, 4-1 Big Ten), Indiana (14-6, 2-3 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Friday, April 6 -- at Illinois (Champaign, Ill.), 3 p.m. CDT
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's tennis team claimed a wild doubles point before winning four-of-six singles matches to secure a 5-2 victory over No. 23 Indiana on Sunday (April 1) at the Varsity Tennis Center. The victory completed a perfect weekend homestand for the Wolverines, who improved to 4-1 in Big Ten Conference play.
After dropping a quick decision at the No. 2 doubles position, Michigan used late breaks to earn dramatic wins on the No. 1 and No. 3 courts and secure the dual's initial point. Junior Evan King (Chicago, Ill./Kaplan Prep) and sophomore Shaun Bernstein (Plainview, N.Y./Old Bethpage JFK HS), ranked 11th in the latest ITA poll, defeated No. 66-ranked Jeremy Langer and Isade Juneau, 8-6, at the top spot, rallying to even the score at 6-6 before persevering through a long deuce point to break in the next game. King served out the match to improve the Wolverine duo's dual record to 10-4.
Michigan's freshman pairing of Alex Petrone (Staten Island, N.Y./Laurel Springs Prep) and Michael Zhu (Princeton, N.J./Keystone National HS) clinched the point for the second time in as many duals, earning a 9-7 decision against the Hoosiers' Stephen Vogl and Will Kendall. The teams traded several breaks to push the score to 7-7 when, with Petrone on the baseline, Michigan fought off three break points to hold. The momentum carried into the next game as the Wolverines reeled off four straight points, earning the break and the match on a Petrone forehand winner down the line.
The teams split the first four singles matches off court with Michigan claiming victories from King and Petrone at No. 1 and No. 3, respectively. King cruised at the top spot, earning a 6-1, 6-1 decision over Isade Juneau for his ninth straight win. The Wolverine junior broke early in both sets and serving for the win, claimed three straight points to close out the match.
Petrone also took advantage of early breaks to secure a 6-2, 6-0 win over Jeremy Langer at No. 3. After letting Langer narrow the gap after a 5-0 start in the first set, Petrone rolled in the second to improve to 10-5 in dual-match action.
Needing just one win in the final two matches, the Wolverines claimed both to put the dual away. Sophomore Alex Buzzi (Key Biscayne, Fla./Gulliver Prep) clinched from the No. 6 position, earning a 6-2, 7-5 win over Kendall for his third straight win. Buzzi broke to 6-5 in the second and after working to deuce in the next game, won back-to-back points to serve out the win.
Zhu won in the match tiebreaker on the No. 4 court, defeating Stephen Vogl, 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 (8). He rallied from an early deficit in the tiebreaker, and the two opponents knotted the score six times before Zhu took the final two to claim his second singles win of the weekend.
Michigan will return to the road next weekend for a pair of Big Ten duals. U-M will travel to Champaign, Ill., to face Illinois at 3 p.m. CDT on Friday (April 6) before wrapping the weekend Sunday (April 8) with a noon CDT dual against Northwestern in Evanston, Ill.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 10 Evan King (U-M) d. Isade Juneau (IU), 6-1, 6-1
No. 2 -- Josh MacTaggart (IU) d. Shaun Bernstein (U-M), 6-1, 6-1
No. 3 -- Alex Petrone (U-M) d. Jeremy Langer (IU), 6-2, 6-0
No. 4 -- Michael Zhu (U-M) d. Stephen Vogl (IU), 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 (8)
No. 5 -- Will Kendall (IU) d. Barrett Franks (U-M), 6-1, 6-4
No. 6 -- Alex Buzzi (U-M) d. Alastair Barnes (IU), 6-2, 7-5
Doubles
No. 1 -- No. 11 Evan King/Shaun Bernstein (U-M) d. No. 66 Jeremy Langer/Isade Juneau (IU), 8-6
No. 2 -- Josh MacTaggart/Alastair Barnes (IU) d. Barrett Franks/Alex Buzzi (U-M), 8-1
No. 3 -- Alex Petrone/Michael Zhu (U-M) d. Stephen Vogl/Will Kendall (IU), 9-7
Order of Completion: Singles 2-1-3-5-6-4, Doubles 2-1-3
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
