Michigan
Illinois
U-M Takes Down Defending B1G Tournament Champion Illinois
2/11/2022 8:28:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Score: #20 Michigan 4, Illinois 1
Records: U-M (4-2, 0-0 B1G), ILL (1-4, 0-0 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Thursday, Feb. 24 -- vs. #5 Notre Dame (Varsity Tennis Center), 6 p.m.
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 20-ranked University of Michigan men's tennis team dominated in singles play after dropping the doubles point to take down defending Big Ten Tournament champion Illinois 4-1 on Friday evening (Feb. 11) at the Varsity Tennis Center.
Doubles play was tightly contested, with all three matches going down to the wire. The Fighting Illini got the win on court two, breaking serve at 1-1 before rattling off a 6-4 victory. The duo of Nick Beaty and Patrick Maloney on court three held a 4-3 advantage before Illinois' Alex Brown and Gabrielius Guzauskas rattled off three straight wins. After holding serve to tie it at four apiece, the Illini got a deuce breaker the following set, before taking the match and the doubles point 6-4.
The Wolverines quickly got back on track in singles play, winning the first sets on all six courts. Beaty evened the score at one apiece, making quick work at No. 6, 6-3, 6-2, and finishing the match off with an ace. Playing on the court alongside him, Ondrej Styler won his match in similar fashion minutes later with an ace of his own at court two, giving U-M a 2-1 advantage by a score of 6-1, 6-4.
Andrew Fenty put Michigan (4-2, 0-0 Big Ten) on the brink of victory after a win at No. 1 over No. 63-ranked Olivier Stuart. Fenty swept through his first set 6-0, then rallied back from a 1-2 deficit in the second, 6-2.
Illinois (1-4, 0-0 Big Ten) did not go down without a fight, withholding a match point from Maloney at No. 5. It was No. 90-ranked Gavin Young who sealed the win for U-M with a 6-3, 7-5 triumph on court four.
With the win, Michigan snapped a six-match losing streak against Illinois, which dated back to the 2017 season. U-M holds a 66-44-2 advantage in the all-time series.
The Maize and Blue will return to the Varsity Tennis Center on Thursday, Feb. 24 when they host Notre Dame. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Following are match-by-match results
Singles
No. 1 -- Andrew Fenty (U-M) def. No. 63 Olivier Stuart (ILL), 6-0, 6-2
No. 2 -- Ondrej Styler (U-M) def. Alex Brown (ILL), 6-1, 6-4
No. 3 -- No. 98 Jacob Bickersteth (U-M) vs. Hunter Heck (ILL), 7-6 (7), 4-6, 0-0 unfinished
No. 4 -- No. 90 Gavin Young (U-M) def. Lucas Horve (ILL), 6-3, 7-5
No. 5 -- Patrick Maloney (U-M) vs. Gabrielius Guzauskas (ILL), 7-5, 6-5 unfinished
No. 6 -- Nick Beaty (U-M) def. Nic Meister (ILL), 6-3, 6-2
Doubles
No. 1 -- No. 11Â Andrew Fenty/Nino Ehrenschneider (U-M) vs. No. 59Â Hunter Heck/Lucas Horve (ILL), 5-5 unfinished
No. 2 -- Alex Brown/Gabrielius Guzauskas (ILL) def. Gavin Young/Ondrej Styler (U-M), 6-4
No. 3 -- Nic Meister/Olivier Stuart (ILL) def. Patrick Maloney/Nick Beaty (U-M), 6-4
Order of Completion: Doubles 2-3, Singles 6-2-1-4
Players Mentioned
