Second set struggles end Michigan men’s tennis win streak

The No. 7 Michigan males’s tennis workforce had knocked off a ranked workforce on the street twice earlier than this season. Contemporary within the Wolverines’ minds have been wins over TCU and Northwestern, they usually appeared nicely on their technique to a 3rd by sweeping the opening service video games of their doubles matches versus No. 2 Ohio State.

Searching for its 14th straight victory, Michigan (16-3 total, 6-1 Large Ten) suffered a detailed loss to Ohio State (21-2, 6-0), 4-1, with sophomore Jacob Bickersteth registering the Wolverines’ sole level.

“We allow them to assault means an excessive amount of,” Bickersteth mentioned. “The doubles level was type of the momentum shifter. They took it to us, once we normally take it to them.”

This time, they lacked aggression to drag off a win. After permitting Ohio State’s No. 1 and No. 3 doubles to take 2-1 leads, Michigan failed to regulate with assaults on the internet, in the end falling to the Buckeyes.

Ultimately, senior Andrew Fenty sailed a shot over the heads of Ohio State’s Matej Vocel and Robert Money, breaking Michigan’s 12-match streak of incomes the doubles level and, extra importantly, placing the Wolverines in a 1-0 gap in the beginning of the match. 

“Going up 1-0 may give a workforce confidence, particularly in a match-up like this when it’s actually shut and two prime groups play one another,” Michigan coach Ben Becker mentioned. “However we nonetheless had loads of perception in one another that we may come out with 4 factors in singles.”

A glimmer of such perception did present, as Michigan break up its first singles units with the Buckeyes. Graduate pupil Nick Beaty’s clean, 6-1, first set win let the Wolverines know they nonetheless held a combating likelihood.

Dropping the essential doubles level, nevertheless, in the end served because the precursor to the match’s remaining consequence. 

“We wanted the three guys who received their first units to carry their leads,” Bickersteth mentioned. “We’d have received the match usually because I got here again within the third.”

At first, that consequence appeared inside their grasp.

Cruising of their first units have been junior Ondrej Styler, 6-3, senior Patrick Maloney, 6-2, and Beaty, they usually obtained precisely the assistance they wanted from Bickersteth to retain 4 factors with the intention to clinch a victory.

Issues shortly modified of their second units.

Serving with a 3-2 lead in his second set, Styler jumped out to a 40-0 lead. However dropping the following 4 factors allowed Ohio State’s No. 1 singles Cannon Kingsley to beat him and tie their set at three video games apiece. Three video games later, Styler misplaced the deciding level on an ace from Kingsley to fall behind, 5-4, and dropped the following recreation to lose the set.

Maloney couldn’t discover any success both, sustaining a 3 recreation deficit earlier than incomes a deuce level to path, 4-2. His subsequent recreation concerned one other all-important deuce level, however Vocel held serve, 5-2 and a dropped second set pushed their match to 3 units, simply as Styler’s did.

With Beaty profitable his first set, Michigan’s street to victory remained open. However Beaty was unable to spark Michigan’s street to victory, shedding his second set, 6-4, to Ohio State’s No. 6 singles James Trotter.

Whereas the Wolverines and Bickersteth performed prolonged matches of three units, Michigan’s No. 2 singles Fenty and sophomore Gavin Younger, at No. 4 singles, misplaced in two units and couldn’t assist proper the ship.

“Gavin has clearly by no means actually skilled enjoying away in a troublesome ambiance,” Becker mentioned. “This was an amazing expertise for him … I do know subsequent time he’ll be capable to deal with it means in a different way.”

Bickersteth delayed Michigan’s loss, however Styler faltered once more and Michigan’s 13-match profitable streak lastly got here to an finish.

“We held on in a very robust ambiance, the place we have been combating in opposition to everybody,” Becker mentioned. “That ought to give our guys confidence, as a result of, any further, we can be enjoying at loads of impartial websites.”

With this loss, Michigan can be unable to retain a share of the Large Ten common season title. However any wins any further can be a part of a brand new streak.