Wolverines Sweep Spartans to Open Conference Play

Friday, March 16

Ann Arbor, Mich.

6:00 PM

Michigan

Michigan State

Nick Beaty

3/16/2018 9:21:00 PM | Men's Tennis

By: TJ Garske

» Michigan secured the doubles point and won both matches without losing a game.
» Three straight wins in singles play secured the victory for the Maize and Blue.
» Carter Lin extended his win streak to nine matches and improved to 9-0 in dual-match play.

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Score: No. 8 U-M 7, MSU 0
Records: U-M (11-2, 1-0 B1G), MSU (6-9, 0-1 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, March 24 -- vs Penn State (Ann Arbor, Mich.), 12 p.m.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 8-ranked University of Michigan men's tennis team cruised to a 7-0 victory over Michigan State on Friday (March 16) evening. The win kept the Maize and Blue's win streak alive at eight straight matches.

The Wolverines were able to pick up the doubles point with ease to start the match, and needed fewer than 20 minutes to win two matches without dropping a game. The No. 9-ranked duo of seniors Alex Knight and Runhao Hua finished 6-0 just before senior Carter Lin and sophomore Nick Beaty won by the same score. The Maize and Blue also cruised along in the unfinished match, with junior Myles Schalet and sophomore Connor Johnston up, 5-1, when the doubles point was obtained.

Lin stayed hot in singles play to improve his record in dual matches to 9-0 after winning in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2. Michigan picked up its third point of the match the next court over when Knight finished off his opponent in straight sets, 7-5, 6-0. It was a hard-fought first set for Knight, who was down early but was able to battle back to win the set and roll through the second set for his 19th singles victory this season. U-M secured the victory when senior Davis Crocker also won in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3.

The squads continued to play out the remaining matches, and the wins kept coming for the Wolverines. Schalet won in straight sets, but needed a tiebreaker to win the first, 7-6(1), 6-2. The next victory for the Maize and Blue came at the one position, where Hua got the nod to play. It was the only match that went to a third-set tiebreaker, as Hua dropped the first set but battled back in the second to force the extra set. Hua prevailed, winning 3-6, 6-3, 10-8. The final match to finish was Beaty's, who played in only his second singles match of the season, and showed he was ready for the challenge in a straight-sets, 6-4, 7-5, win in a match that was close the whole way.

Michigan will be back in conference action next Saturday (March 24) when it hosts Penn State at the Varsity Tennis Center. The first serve is scheduled for 12 p.m.

Following are match-by-match results

Singles
No. 1 -- No. 26 Runhao Hua (U-M) def. Brett Forman (MSU) 3-6, 6-3, 10-8
No. 2 -- No. 5 Alex Knight (U-M) def. Josh Mukherjee (MSU) 7-5, 6-0
No. 3 -- Myles Schalet (U-M) def. Davis Wong (MSU) 7-6(1), 6-2
No. 4 -- Carter Lin (U-M) def. Billy Shisler (MSU) 6-1, 6-2
No. 5 -- Davis Crocker (U-M) def. Jasper Koenen (MSU) 6-2, 6-3
No. 6 -- Nick Beaty (U-M) def. Jack Winkler (MSU) 6-4, 7-5

Doubles
No. 1 – No. 9 Alex Knight/Runhao Hua (U-M) def. Jasper Koenen/Brett Forman (MSU) 6-0
No. 2 -- Myles Schalet/Connor Johnston (U-M) vs. Billy Shisler/Josh Mukherjee (MSU) 5-1 unfinished
No. 3 – Nick Beaty/Carter Lin (U-M) vs. Davis Wong/Jack Winkler (MSU) 6-0