Michigan
Penn State
Wolverines Upset Nittany Lions in First Round of B1G Tournament
4/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 23, 2015
Runhao Hua
Site: Champaign, Ill. (Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex at the Atkins Tennis Center)
Event: Big Ten Tournament (First Round)
Score: Michigan 4, Penn State 2
Records: U-M (7-16), PSU (15-15)
Next U-M Event: Friday, April 24 -- vs. Minnesota - Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals (Champaign, Ill.), 2 p.m. CDT
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- In a back-and-forth match that spanned nearly four hours, the University of Michigan men's tennis team earned a 4-2 upset win over 48th-ranked Penn State in the first round of the Big Ten Conference Tournament on Thursday evening (April 23) at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex at the Atkins Tennis Center.
In the second-to-last match off court, true freshman Runhao Hua clinched the dual-match victory for the Maize and Blue from the No. 2 position, extending his winning streak to six matches with his 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 win over Alex Fennell. The true freshman leads U-M in overall singles victories (17) and dual-match singles triumphs (10).
In addition to Hua, Michigan picked up singles victories from redshirt freshman Alex Knight and sophomore Kevin Wong at the No. 4 and No. 6 positions, respectively. Knight cruised to a 6-1, 6-3 decision over Tomas Hanzlik at the No. 4 position, and Wong posted his fourth consecutive singles win, a come-from-behind 6-7 (3), 6-0, 6-1 decision over Nika Dolidze.
U-M began the match by earning the doubles point for the ninth time this season, earning victories at the No. 1 and No. 3 positions. After dropping an 8-4 decision at the No. 2 doubles position, the Wolverines responded with simultaneous 8-6 victories at the other two spots in the lineup. Hua and Knight teamed up to defeat Alex Fennell and Leonard Stakhovsky at the top of the lineup, and senior Michael Zhu and sophomore Tyler Gardiner followed with a victory by the same score over Aws Laaribi and Christian Lutschaunig to give Michigan the initial point of the match.
The Wolverines will face third-seeded and 23rd-ranked Minnesota in the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals tomorrow (Friday, April 24) at 2 p.m. CT on the campus of the University of Illinois.
Following are match-by-match results
Singles
No. 1 -- Leonard Stakhovsky (PSU) def. Michael Zhu (U-M), 6-1, 6-2
No. 2 -- Runhao Hua (U-M) def. Alex Fennell (PSU), 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
No. 3 -- Alex Petrone (U-M) vs. Matt Barry (PSU), DNF 7-5, 6-7 (5), 2-1
No. 4 -- Alex Knight (U-M) def. Tomas Hanzlik (PSU), 6-1, 6-3
No. 5 -- Roman Trkulja (PSU) def. Davis Crocker (U-M), 6-4, 6-4
No. 6 -- Kevin Wong (U-M) def. Nika Dolidze (PSU), 6-7 (3), 6-0, 6-1
Doubles
No. 1 -- Runhao Hua/Alex Knight (U-M) def. Alex Fennell/Leonard Stakhovsky (PSU, 8-6
No. 2 -- Matt Barry/Mike Reilly (PSU) def. Alex Petrone/Kevin Wong (U-M), 8-4
No. 3 -- Tyler Gardiner/Michael Zhu (U-M) def. Aws Laaribi/Christian Lutschaunig (PSU), 8-6
Order of Completion: Doubles 2-1-3, Singles 1-5-4-6-2
Communications Contact: Zach Eisendrath (734) 763-4423
