Michigan Dispatches Penn State at Varsity Tennis Center
3/13/2021 4:25:00 PM
// Kristy McNeil
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Result: #13 Michigan 5, Penn State 1
Records: U-M (5-1, 5-0 B1G), PSU (2-4, 2-4 BIG)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, March 14 — vs. #8 Ohio State (Varsity Tennis Center), Noon
• Photo Gallery
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The No. 13-ranked University of Michigan men’s tennis team recorded a 6-1 win over Penn State on Saturday (March 13) to remain unbeaten in the conference.
Michigan won the doubles point and won five of the six singles matches.
For the first time in dual play, Nick Beaty and Harrison Brown teamed up at No. 3 doubles to take on Christian Lakoseljac and Miko Francis Eala. They took a 2-0 lead, increased it to 3-2 and closed winning three straight to win, 6-2.
Connor Johnston and Ondrej Styler, a steady tandem at No. 2 last season paired up for just the second time in dual play. The duo took a 4-1 edge on Alp Setay and Christos Antonpoulous and went on a 2-1 run to finish the match with a 6-2 win.
With the doubles point secured, Michigan’s match at No. 1, featuring the No. 2-ranked team of Andrew Fenty and Mattias Siimar and tied at at 4-4 was abandoned.
No. 28-ranked Styler made quick work of Bora Sengul taking 6-3 and 6-0 games at No. 2 singles to improve to 4-1 in Big Ten action. Beaty kept his win streak intact, moving to nine straight with a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 5 singles.
Patrick Maloney remained unbeaten, claiming matching 6-2 wins at No. 3 singles to clinch the match point for Michigan at 4-0.
No. 14-ranked Fenty and Christian Lakoseljac put on a show at No. 1 singles. The first set went into a tiebreaker with Fenty taking a 3-0 lead. Lakoseljac won the next three points to knot things up and the two traded the next six points to sit at 6-6. Fenty closed out, winning the last two points to take the match 7-6 (6). In the second set, Fenty grabbed a 2-0 lead but found himself once again tied up, 3-3. He rattled off the next three points for the 6-3 win and improved the Wolverines lead to 5-0.
Nos. 4 and 6 singles were both pushed to a 10-point tiebreak.
Siimar won the first set, 7-5, in his match at No. 4 before suffering a 6-2 loss. Tied at 6-6 in the third set, Siimar won four of the last five points for a 10-6 win, his fifth straight singles victory.
Jacob Bickersteth went toe-to-toe with Tim Ruetzel at No. 6 with Ruetzel taking the tiebreak, 10-6, to account for the only singles win for the Nittany Lions. The setback snaps a five-match win streak for Bickersteth, who is now 5-2 in singles.
On Sunday (March 14), the Wolverines welcome No. 8-ranked Ohio State to the Varsity Tennis Center for a noon showdown of Big Ten unbeatens.
Following are match-by-match results
No. 1 — No. 14 Andrew Fenty (U-M) d. Christian Lakoseljac (PSU), 7-6 (6), 6-3
No. 2 — No. 28 Ondrej Styler (U-M) d. Bora Sengul (PSU), 6-3, 6-0
No. 3 — Patrick Maloney (U-M) d. Christos Antonopoulos (PSU), 6-2, 6-2
No. 4 — Mattias Siimar (U-M) d. Miko Francis Eala (PSU), 7-5, 2-6, 10-7
No. 5 — Nick Beaty (U-M) d. Charl Morgan (PSU), 6-3, 6-2
No. 6 — Tim Ruetzel (PSU) d. Jacob Bickersteth (U-M), 4-6, 6-2, 10-6
Doubles
No. 1 — No. 2 Andrew Fenty/Mattias Siimar (U-M) vs. Tim Ruetzel/Charl Morgan (PSU) 4-4 abandoned
No. 2 — Ondrej Styler/Connor Johnston (U-M) d. Alp Setay/Christos Antonopoulos (PSU), 6-2
No. 3 — Nick Beaty/Harrison Brown (U-M) d. Christian Lakoseljac/Miko Francis Eala (PSU), 6-2
Order of Completion: Doubles 3-2, Singles 2-5-3-1-4-6