Michigan
Northwestern
Wolverines Roll Past Northwestern for Fourth Straight Win
4/8/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 8, 2012
Site: Evanston, Ill. (Combe Tennis Center)
Score: Michigan 5, Northwestern 2
Records: U-M (13-5, 6-1 Big Ten), Northwestern (12-7, 5-2 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, April 14 -- vs. Nebraska (Varsity Tennis Center), Noon
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's tennis team swept the doubles competition and won four-of-six singles matches to cruise past Northwestern, 5-2, on Sunday afternoon (April 8) at the Combe Tennis Center. The win is the fourth in a row for the Wolverines, who improve to 6-1 in Big Ten Conference play.
Michigan claimed all three doubles matches for the second time this season, earning similar 8-5 scores on the No. 1 and No. 2 courts before taking the final match, 8-7 (4), in the tiebreaker. Junior Evan King (Chicago, Ill./Kaplan Prep) and sophomore Shaun Bernstein (Plainview, N.Y./Old Bethpage JFK HS), ranked seventh in the latest ITA poll, surged past the Wildcats' Josh Graves and Spencer Wolf at the top spot, securing their fourth straight victory and improving to a team-best 12-4 in dual-match competition.
King also won quickly from the No. 1 singles position, earning his 11th win in a row with a 6-2, 6-4 decision against Graves. The Wolverine junior, ranked 10th nationally, jumped out to an early 4-0 lead to cruise in the first set and similarly took advantage of an early break to claim a closer second. He leads the team with a 16-2 dual record.
Freshman Alex Petrone (Staten Island, N.Y./Laurel Springs Prep) was the first Wolverine off court, knocking off the No. 109-ranked Wolf, 6-0, 6-4, in his second appearance at the No. 2 spot. Wolf rallied to stay alive in the second set before Petrone closed out the match for his fourth straight win, improving to 12-5 in dual-match play.
Sophomores Barrett Franks (Christchurch, New Zealand/Shirley Boys' School) and Alex Buzzi (Key Biscayne, Fla./Gulliver Prep) earned three-set decisions at the No. 5 and No. 6 positions, respectively, to round out Michigan's singles winners. Franks clinched the dual in the former, defeating Alex Pasareanu, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, after claiming each of the match's final four games. Buzzi took advantage of a quick start in the third to battled past Chris Jackman, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.
The Wildcats narrowed the final score with wins on the No. 3 and No. 4 courts.
Michigan (13-5, 6-1 Big Ten) will return home next weekend to host a pair of Big Ten duals at the Varsity Tennis Center. U-M will face Nebraska at noon on Saturday (April 14) before closing out the homestand with a noon slate against Iowa on Sunday (April 15).
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 10 Evan King (U-M) d. Josh Graves (NU), 6-2, 6-4
No. 2 -- Alex Petrone (U-M) d. #109 Spencer Wolf (NU), 6-0, 6-4
No. 3 -- Raleigh Smith (NU) d. Shaun Bernstein (U-M), 6-1, 6-7 (6), 1-0 (5)
No. 4 -- Sidarth Balaji (NU) d. Michael Zhu (U-M), 6-2, 7-6 (8)
No. 5 -- Barrett Franks (U-M) d. Alex Pasareanu (NU), 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
No. 6 -- Alex Buzzi (U-M) d. Chris Jackman (NU), 6-3, 4-6, 6-1
Doubles
No. 1 -- No. 11 Shaun Bernstein/Evan King (U-M) d. Josh Graves/Spencer Wolf (NU), 8-5
No. 2 -- Barrett Franks/Alex Buzzi (U-M) d. Alex Pasareanu/Raleigh Smith (NU), 8-5
No. 3 -- Michael Zhu/Alex Petrone (U-M) d. Tobias Reitz/Sidarth Balaji (NU), 8-7 (4)
Order of Completion: Singles 2-1-5-6-3-4, Doubles 1-2-3
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
