Michigan
Illinois
Michigan Caps Off Weekend with Upset of No. 19 Illinois
3/31/2024 6:26:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Site: Champaign, Ill. (Atkins Tennis Center)
Score: Michigan 4, No. 19 Illinois 2
Records: U-M (10-10, 4-0 B1G), Illinois (10-8, 1-3 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Friday, April 5 – vs. Indiana (Ann Arbor) 6 p.m.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The University of Michigan men's tennis posted a 4-2 victory over No. 19 Illinois on Sunday afternoon (March 31) at the Atkins Tennis Center. The win marks the Wolverines' second win over a ranked team this season and fifth straight over the Fighting Illini.
For the fourth consecutive match, Michigan captured the doubles point winning at No. 1 and 3. After falling at No. 2 doubles the Wolverines rallied with the No. 27-ranked pair of Gavin Young and Jacob Bickersteth posted a 6-4 win over Hunter Heck and William Mroz. They are now 9-5 as a duo this season and are on a four-match win streak. Bjorn Swenson and Mert Oral clinched the doubles point with a 6-4 win over Lucas Horve and Tyler Bowers, their fourth consecutive win as a pair.
Illinois evened things at 1-1 with the first singles win as No. 83 Kenta Miyoshi won at No. 3 over Swenson.
After Nicholas Steiglehner won 7-5, 6-2 win over Bowers at No. 6 and Bickersteth lost at No. 2 to Alex Petrov 6-3, 7-5, the score remained knotted at 2-2.
Will Cooksey pushed Michigan ahead 3-2 with a three-set win over Horve at No. 5. After dropping the first set, 6-3, he followed up with back-to-back 6-2 set wins.
No. 15-ranked Young clinched the win for the Maize & Blue, taking down No. 47-ranked Heck in three sets. Young won a tiebreaker in the first set 7-6 (10-8) and after falling 6-2 in the second set fought back to take the third 6-1. It marks his 16th career win over a ranked player.
Michigan returns home to host Indiana on Friday (April 5) at 6 p.m., and Purdue on Sunday (April 7) at noon at the Varsity Tennis Center.
Following are match-by-match results
Singles
No. 1 – No. 15 Gavin Young (U-M) d. No. 47 Hunter Heck (ILL) 7-6 (10-8), 2-6, 6-1
No. 2 – Alex Petrov (ILL) d. No. 125 Jacob Bickersteth (U-M) 6-3, 7-6 (5)
No. 3 – No. 83 Kenta Miyoshi (ILL) d. Bjorn Swenson (U-M) 6-4, 6-2
No. 4 – Patorn Hanchaikul (U-M) vs. William Mroz (ILL) 6-4, 4-6, 3-3 unfinished
No. 5 – Will Cooksey (U-M) d. Lucas Horve (ILL) 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
No. 6 – Nicholas Steiglehner (U-M) d. Tyler Bowers (ILL) 7-5, 6-2
Doubles
No. 1 – No. 27 Young/Bickersteth (U-M) d. Heck/Mroz (ILL) 6-4
No. 2 – Mathis Debru/Kenta Miyoshu (ILL) d. Alex Cairo/Cooksey (U-M) 6-1
No. 3 – Swenson/Oral (U-M) d. Horve/Bowers (ILL) 6-4
Order of Completion:Â Doubles 2-1-3; Singles 3-6-2-5-1
Players Mentioned
