Michigan
Illinois
Michigan to Face Tough Test This Weekend at No. 14 Illinois, Northwestern
3/24/2021 3:59:00 PM | Men's Tennis
THIS WEEK
Friday, March 26 -- at Illinois (Champaign, Ill.), 3Â p.m. CDT (Note new time)
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Sunday, March 28 -- at Northwestern (Evanston, Ill.), Noon CDT
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The No. 25-ranked University of Michigan men's tennis team looks to stay on top of the Big Ten standings with a pair of matches in the Land of Lincoln this weekend. On Friday (March 26) at 3 p.m. CDT (note new time, was originally 6 p.m. CDT), the Wolverines face a strong test against No. 14 Illinois in Champaign. On Sunday (March 28), U-M closes out the road trip with a noon CDT match at Northwestern.
Wolverine Bites
• Michigan won its eighth straight match and is 8-1 overall and is the lone unbeaten team in the Big Ten at 8-0, including a win over Ohio State last weekend. The Wolverines are ranked No. 25 in the ITA computer rankings and are ranked No. 6 in the first Tennis Channel/USTA Top 25 poll of the season (March 24).
• Ondrej Styler won his first match at No. 1 singles last week and is 5-2 at No. 2 singles. He has won his last four matches, is 10-5 in singles overall and is ranked No. 50 in the ITA computer rankings.
• No. 14-ranked Andrew Fenty is 5-1 at No. 1 singles with his lone loss coming against a higher-ranked opponent, then-No. 5 Cannon Kingsley of OSU.
• Patrick Maloney is 4-1 at No. 3 singles.
• Mattias Siimar has won his last seven matches, going a perfect 7-0 in Big Ten play.
• Nick Beaty is ranked for the first time in his career. He is 12-3 in singles, which included a six-match win streak.
• Freshmen Jacob Bickersteth and Nino Ehrenschneider have both played at No. 6 this season.
• In doubles, Andrew Fenty and Mattias Siimar are 9-1 on the season and sport a 4-1 Big Ten record. They've won their last three matches including a 6-4 win over Ohio State's then-No. 4-ranked pair of John McNally and Robert Cash.
• Connor Johnston and Ondrej Styler are 2-2 at No. 2 doubles, while Harrison Brown and Nick Beaty are 1-2.
• Michigan has won the doubles point in six of nine matches this season.
Who's Who
Ranked Singles Players
No. 27 -- Aleksander Kovacevic, Illinois
No. 28 -- Zeke Clark, Illinois
No. 50 -- Ondrej Styler, Michigan
No. 54 -- Siphosothando Montsi, Illinois
No. 93 -- Nick Beaty, Michigan
No. 109 -- Mattias Siimar, Michigan
No. 119 -- Alex Brown, Illinois
No. 123 -- Nick Brookes, Northwestern
No. 124 -- Andrew Fenty, Michigan
Ranked Doubles Teams
No. 23 -- Andrew Fenty/Mattias Siimar, Michigan
No. 27 -- Zeke Clark/Alex Brown, Illinois
No. 39 -- Siphosothando Montsi/Kweisi Kenyatte, Illinois
Series Histories
Michigan leads, 65-42-2, in the all-time series with Illinois, with the Illini winning the last three matches. The Wolverines' last win in the series was in 2018, a 4-0 match on the road. Illinois is 8-2 in the last 10 matches of the series.
The Wolverines lead, 72-28-1, in the all-time series with Northwestern and have won the last three meetings. Michigan is 7-3 in the last 10 matches versus the Wildcats.
About the Opponents
Illinois
• Illinois is off to a 10-2 start and is 7-2 in the Big Ten. This week, the Illini are ranked No. 14 in the Oracle/ITA poll and are No. 13 in the Tennis Channel/USTA Top 25 poll.
• The Fighting Illini have won their last six matches, with its losses coming against Baylor and Ohio State.
• Illinois is unbeaten in its last seven No. 1 singles matches, with Aleks Khlif and Siphosothando Montsi both 4-0 at the position.
• Montsi is unbeaten at 1-0, winning four matches at No. 2 and two at No. 3.
• Zeke Clark is 8-0 this season with four wins at each No. 4 and 5 singles and is ranked No. 28.
• Ranked one spot above him is Aleks Kovacevic, though he has just played four matches this season and has won them all.
• Illinois has yet to lose at No. 3 singles this season with three different players at that spot.
The Illini have won the doubles eight of 12 doubles points with Alex Brown and Zeke Clarke owning a 6-0 record to rank No. 27.
Northwestern
• Northwestern is 7-4 on the season and is 6-3 in the Big Ten. The Wildcats have used nearly the entire same rotation throughout the season, with the only change at No 6 singles where two players have played.
• Nick Brookes is 7-1 at No. 2 singles and is ranked No. 112.
• Presley Thieneman is 5-0 in dual play, with all five wins at No. 6.
• Simen Bratholm and Nick Brookes are 8-3 at No. 1 doubles.
• The Wildcats have used four different pairings at No. 2, the most successful being Chris Ephron and Dominik Stary (5-2).
Up Next
Saturday, April 3 -- vs. Indiana (Varsity Tennis Center), 11 a.m.
Sunday, April 4 -- vs. Purdue (Varsity Tennis Center), Noon
Players Mentioned
