Michigan
Wisconsin
Wolverines Knock off Wisconsin, Remain Perfect in Big Ten Play
3/25/2023 3:50:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Score: #3 Michigan 5, #17 Wisconsin 2
Records: U-M (12-3, 4-0 B1G), UW (13-3, 4-2 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, March 26 -- vs. Minnesota (Varsity Tennis Center), Noon
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 3-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team won the doubles point in dramatic fashion and won four-of-six singles matches to remain perfect in Big Ten action with a 5-2 win over Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon (March 25) at the Varsity Tennis Center.
The Wolverines grabbed the early lead by coming away with the doubles point that lasted nearly an hour. U-M breezed to a 6-1 win at No. 3, as Merri Kelly and Andrea Cerdan broke to start the match and never looked back in the win.
Michigan went up a break at 5-3 at the top spot, while Julia Fliegner and Lily Jones fought back from a 5-2 deficit at No. 2 to close within 5-4. Wisconsin held in the next game at the middle spot for a 6-4 win and got the match back on serve at 5-5 at No. 1.
Jaedan Brown and Kari Miller held in their next service game, fighting off two break points for the 6-5 lead. On the deuce point, Miller's serve clipped the net but found its way in and Brown put the point away at the net moments later. Wisconsin returned the favor, holding in its ensuing service game to force a tiebreaker.
Michigan raced out to a 3-0 lead, but UW answered with four straight points for a 4-3 lead. The teams went back and forth from there as U-M fought off a match point to tie it at 6-6. Miller and Brown won the final three points of the tiebreaker; winning 8-6 to put the first point of the afternoon on the board.
Cerdan accounted for Michigan's second point of the afternoon, turning in a methodical 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 6. In the first set, Cerdan turned a 2-2 tie into a 6-2 win. She got the break she needed midway through her second set and did not drop another game in an identical 6-2 victory.
Wisconsin forced second sets at both No. 3 and No. 5 as Michigan continued to search for another point.
Brown put U-M's third point on the board, dispatching of No. 44-ranked Ava Markham in straight sets at the top of the lineup. Brown found herself in a 4-1 hole in the first set before climbing back in it to force a tiebreak. The breaker was tied at 6-6 at the second changeover, with Markham grabbing a set point on the next point. Brown fought it off and won the next two points as well to wrap up the 9-7 win. Brown jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second set but could not keep the break as Markham won the next two games. Brown buckled down from there, winning the next three games with an opportunity to serve out the match. Markham fought it off but Brown broke her yet again to grab the victory.
Fliegner clinched the match for the Maize and Blue moments later with a 7-5, 6-4 win at No. 3. Fliegner jumped out to big leads in both sets, but Alina Mukhortova was able to get back in both of them after being down a break early in each. After wrapping up a 7-5 first-set win, Fliegner got the job done in the second on her fourth match point, breaking Mukhortova as she attempted to serve to stay in the match.
Michigan retired at No. 5, giving Wisconsin a point at 4-1.
Jones wrapped up Michigan's victors on the day with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 win at No. 4. It was all Jones in the first set as she grabbed the early advantage and breezed to the 6-2 win. After Taylor Cataldi evened the match with a second-set win, Jones broke on the deuce point at 3-1 in the third set. That was all the space she needed to get the win for Michigan's fifth point.
Wisconsin ended the day with a win at No. 2 to provide the 5-2 margin.
Michigan wraps up a two-match weekend Sunday (March 26), hosting Minnesota at noon at the VTC.
Following are match-by-match results
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 30 Jaedan Brown (U-M) d. No. 44 Ava Markham (UW), 7-6 (7), 6-3
No. 2 -- No. 92 Maria Sholokhova (UW) d. No. 47 Kari Miller (U-M), 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
No. 3 -- No. 37 Julia Fliegner (U-M) d. Alina Mukhortova (UW), 7-5, 6-4
No. 4 -- No. 63 Lily Jones (U-M) d. Taylor Cataldi (UW), 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
No. 5 -- No. 113 Xinyu Cai (UW) d. Gala Mesochoritou (U-M), 4-6, 6-3, 1-1 retired
No. 6 -- Andrea Cerdan (U-M) d. Charmaine Seah (UW), 6-2, 6-2
Doubles
No. 1 -- No. 2 Jaedan Brown/Kari Miller (U-M) d. No. 65 Ava Markham/Maria Sholokhova (UW), 7-6 (6)
No. 2 -- Xinyu Cai/Alina Mukhortova (UW) d. No. 69 Lily Jones/Julia Fliegner (U-M), 6-4
No. 3 -- Andrea Cerdan/Merri Kelly (U-M) d. Taylor Cataldi/Charmaine Seah (UW), 6-1
Order of Completion: Doubles 3-2-1, Singles 6-1-3-5-4-2
Players Mentioned
