Michigan
Wisconsin
Wolverines Punch Ticket to B1G Championship Match
4/29/2023 1:30:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Site:West Lafayette, Ind. (Schwartz Tennis Center)
Event: Big Ten Tournament (Semifinals)
Score: #5 Michigan 4, #21 Wisconsin 0
Records: U-M (21-3), UW (19-6)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, April 30 -- vs. Ohio State -- Big Ten Tournament Final (West Lafayette, Ind.), Noon
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The No. 5-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team punched its ticket to its 18th straight championship match, shutting out No. 21 Wisconsin 4-0 in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Saturday (April 29) at the Schwartz Tennis Center. U-M won the doubles point and the first three singles matches off court to record its 10th straight match victory.
Michigan weathered a slow start in doubles to take the first point of the match, winning the final two matches off court to wrap up the early lead.
U-M was broken in its first service games at both No. 1 and No. 2 as Wisconsin grabbed some early momentum. At the same time, Michigan's No. 3 duo of Kari Miller and Merri Kelly grabbed two breaks at 3-0 before Wisconsin got on the board at 3-1.
The Badgers rolled to a 6-0 win at No. 2, but U-M's top pair of Jaedan Brown and Andrea Cerdan were able to turn their match around at No. 1. After losing the first game, Michigan won three straight for a 3-1 lead before Wisconsin answered right back with a break to get back on serve at 3-2. Michigan did not allow the Badgers to consolidate the break, answering yet again to pull ahead at 4-2.
Miller and Kelly wrapped up a drama-free 6-1 win at No. 3, winning the final three games to even the doubles ledger to turn attention to No. 1. Cerdan held on her serve for a 5-2 Michigan lead, sending Wisconsin back to serve to stay in the match. The Badgers held four game points, but Michigan reeled off four straight points, winning on a double fault on deuce point to take a 6-2 win for the doubles point.
In singles action, Michigan took four first sets as Lily Jones, Miller and Kelly each rallied from early deficits to take their first sets. Brown accounted for Michigan's fourth first set, breezing to a 6-0 win at the top spot.
Jones pushed Michigan's lead to 2-0 with a 6-3, 6-0 win at No. 4. Jones reeled off 11 straight games after falling in a 3-1 hole to pick up her first win of the Big Ten Tournament.
Miller avenged an earlier loss this season to No. 69-ranked Maria Sholokhova at No. 2, winning 6-4, 6-3 for Michigan's third point of the afternoon. Miller won six straight games in the first set to erase a 4-0 hole. In the second, the players exchanged four straight breaks of serve until Miller held at 3-2. She got the break she needed in the next game, holding her serve over her next two service games to put U-M on the brink of the team win.
Kelly went up a break at both 4-3 and 5-4 at the No. 6 spot but could not consolidate it as her match remained on serve in the latter stages of the second set.
Brown did the honors for the Maize and Blue, rallying from down 2-0 in the final set to put Michigan's fourth point on the scoreboard. After she eased to a 6-0 first-set win, Brown was broken on her second service game in the second set. She tried to get the break back throughout the rest of the set but was unable to, sending her match at the top spot to a third set.
She was broken to start the third, eventually falling behind 2-0. It was all Brown from there as she, much like Miller in her first set, won six straight games for the win. Brown got the break at 4-2 and kept it in her next service game, coming in on deuce point for a volley winner for a 5-2 lead. She cashed in on her first match point on Ava Markham's serve, sending Michigan to the championship match.
U-M will face Ohio State in Sunday's (April 30) championship match at noon.
Following are match-by-match results
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 29 Jaedan Brown (U-M) d. No. 53 Ava Markham (UW), 6-0, 4-6, 6-2
No. 2 -- No. 37 Kari Miller (U-M) d. No. 69 Maria Sholokhova (UW), 6-4, 6-3
No. 3 -- No. 47 Julia Fliegner (U-M) vs. Taylor Cataldi (UW), 5-7, 6-5 abandoned
No. 4 -- No. 77 Lily Jones (U-M) d. Alina Mukhortova (UW), 6-3, 6-0
No. 5 -- Andrea Cerdan (U-M) vs. No. 125 Xinyu Cai (UW) 4-6, 6-3, 1-2 abandoned
No. 6 -- Merri Kelly (U-M) vs. Charmaine Seah (UW), 6-4, 5-5 abandoned
Doubles
No. 1 -- Jaedan Brown/Andrea Cerdan (U-M) d. Ava Markham/Maria Sholokhova (UW), 6-2
No. 2 -- Xinyu Cai/Alina Mukhortova (UW) d. Lily Jones/Julia Fliegner (U-M), 6-0
No. 3 -- Merri Kelly/Kari Miller (U-M) d. Charmaine Seah/Taylor Cataldi (UW), 6-1
Order of Completion: Doubles 2-3-1, Singles 4-2-1
Players Mentioned
