Michigan
Auburn
Wolverines Advance to ITA Kick-Off Championship
1/25/2025 12:27:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Site: Knoxville, Tenn. (Goodfriend Tennis Center)
Event: ITA Kick-Off (Day 1 of 2)
Score: #25 Michigan 4, Auburn 1
Records: U-M (2-0), Auburn (2-1)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Jan. 26 -- vs. Tennessee/Illinois at ITA Kick-Off (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1 p.m.
KNOXVILLE, TENN. -- The No. 25-ranked University of Michigan men's tennis team handed Auburn its first loss of the season as the Wolverines took care of business in the first game of the ITA Kick-Off on the campus of the University of Tennessee, winning 4-1.
Michigan took the doubles point and then secured five of six first sets of singles en route to the victory.
Alex Cairo and Will Cooksey made quick work at No. 3 doubles with a 6-0 win. Patorn Hanchaikul and Benjamin Kittay broke back to even things at 4-4 at No. 2 as Gavin Young and Bjorn Swenson went down 5-2 at No. 1. Things stayed on serve on court two as Hanchaikul and Kittay improved to 2-0 on the season. Over on court one, Young and Swenson were determined as they held off three match points, battling back to 5-6 before the match was called.
Kittay used an early break to jump out to a 3-1 lead over Billy Blaydes at No. 2 singles and rode it to a 6-3 set. Even at 4-4 in the second set, Kittay again used a break to take the lead and finished off Blaydes 6-4 to push Michigan ahead 2-0.
Cooksey made it 3-0 Wolverines with a win over Joey Phillips at No. 4. Cooksey went up 4-1 thanks to two breaks and finished the first set 6-2. The two stayed on serve until Cooksey went on a three-game run to close out Phillips 6-3 in the second set.
The Tigers got on the board as their lone ranked singles player, No. 95 Alex Frusina, claimed a 7-5, 6-2 win over Swenson at No. 3 singles.
At No. 1 singles, Young bounced back after going down 4-1 in the first set to take a 7-5 set from Will Nolan. Young pushed ahead 5-3 in the second with Nolan holding serve to delay Michigan's victory, while Nicholas Steiglehner was heading into a third set and Hanchaikul led 3-0 in his third set. Young clinched with a forehand shot that couldn't be returned, winning 6-4.
Michigan will face host No. 14 Tennessee in the championship tomorrow at 1 p.m. The winner advances to the ITA National Indoor Championships.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 – No. 59 Gavin Young (U-M) d. Will Nolan (AU) 7-5, 6-4
No. 2 – Benjamin Kittay (U-M) d. Billy Blaydes (AU) 6-3, 6-4
No. 3 – No. 95 Alex Frusina (AU) d. Bjorn Swenson (U-M) 7-5, 6-2
No. 4 – Will Cooksey (U-M) d. Joey Phillips (AU) 6-2, 6-3
No. 5 – No. 113 Patorn Hanchaikul (U-M) vs. Hamza Nasridinov (AU) 6-1, 2-6, 3-2 unf.
No. 6 – Nicholas Steiglehner (U-M) vs. Nicholas Heng (AU) 7-5, 2-6 unf.
Doubles
No. 1 – Young/Swenson (U-M) vs. No. 15 Nolan/Blaydes (AU) 5-6 unf.
No. 2 – Kittay/Hanchaikul (U-M) d. Frusina/Phillips (AU) 7-5
No. 3 – Cooksey/Alex Cairo (U-M) d. Heng/Thomas Kennedy (AU) 6-0
Order of Completion: Doubles 3-2; Singles 2-4-3-1
Players Mentioned
