Michigan
USF
Michigan's Rally at No. 17 USF Falls Short
3/6/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
March 6, 2016
» U-M lost the doubles point after dropping matches at No. 1 and No. 3.
» Michigan completed its spring break trip to Florida with a 1-1 record after Thursday's (March 3) win at Miami.
Site: Tampa, Fla. (USF Varsity Tennis Courts)
Score: #17 USF 4, #19 Michigan 3
Records: U-M (10-3), USF (8-5)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, March 12 -- vs. Columbia (Varsity Tennis Center), 11 a.m.
TAMPA, Fla. -- The No. 19-ranked University of Michigan men's tennis team fell in a 3-0 hole before rallying to tie the match at 3-3 but came up just short in a 4-3 loss to No. 17-ranked South Florida on Sunday afternoon (March 6) at the USF Varsity Tennis Courts.
USF won the doubles point, taking match wins at No. 1 and No. 3. At No. 1, sophomore Runhao Hua and junior/sophomore Alex Knight were down 5-0 before rallying to get within a game at 5-4, but USF won the final game for the victory.
Juniors Jathan Malik and Kevin Wong were next off court, winning 7-5 at No. 2 to turn attention to court No. 3. Freshmen Lubomir Cuba and Myles Schalet could not complete a Michigan comeback, falling by the same 7-5 score at No. 3 as USF took the 1-0 lead.
USF won at No. 4 and No. 3 singles, extending its lead to 3-0.
Schalet got Michigan on the board with a 7-6, 6-3 victory at No. 6.
Knight kept Michigan alive with a three-set win at No. 2, rallying from dropping the first set No. 35 Dominic Cotrone. After falling 6-3 in the opening frame, Knight picked up a 6-2 win in the second and a 6-4 win in the third to provide the Maize and Blue's second point of the afternoon.
Wong did the same for U-M, winning in three sets at No. 5 to tie the match at 3-3. Wong came back from a 6-3 loss in the first set to claim 7-5 and 6-4 victories in the final two sets for the win at No. 5.
Malik was the final Wolverine left on court, but he fell in a 4-2 hole in the third set. Malik could not get the break back in the final four games as No. 5-ranked Roberto Cid grabbed a 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 victory at No. 1 to seal the match for South Florida.
Michigan returns home for a pair of matches next Saturday (March 12), taking on Columbia at 11 a.m. and Toledo at 6 p.m. Admission is free at the Varsity Tennis Center.
Following are match-by-match results
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 5 Roberto Cid (USF) d. No. 60 Jathan Malik (U-M), 6-7, 6-3, 6-4
No. 2 -- Alex Knight (U-M) d. No. 35 Dominic Cotrone (Miami)
No. 3 -- Sasha Gozun (USF) d. Carter Lin (U-M), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
No. 4 -- Justin Roberts (USF) d. Davis Crocker (U-M), 6-1, 7-6
No. 5 -- Kevin Wong (U-M) d. Fermin Calvo (Miami), 6-3, 6-3
No. 6 -- Myles Schalet (U-M) d. Everth Dzib (USF), 7-6, 6-3
Doubles
No. 1 -- No. 46 Dominic Cotrone/Justin Roberts (USF) d. Alex Knight/Runhao Hua (U-M), 6-4
No. 2 -- Jathan Malik/Kevin Wong (U-M) d. Roberto Cid/Sasha Gozun (USF), 7-5
No. 3 -- Peter Bertran/Everth Dzib (USF) d. Lubomir Cuba/Myles Schalet (U-M), 7-5
Order of Completion: Doubles 1-2-3, Singles 4-3-6-2-5-1
Communications Contact: Sarah VanMetre
Players Mentioned
