University of Minnesota Athletics
#11 Illinois Upends #34 Minnesota 6-1
4/22/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
The 34th-ranked University of Minnesota men's tennis team fell to 4-5 in the Big Ten with a 6-1 loss to 11th-ranked Illinois today in Urbana, Ill. The Golden Gophers (14-8, 4-5 Big Ten) went 0-3 in doubles and 1-5 in singles to fall to the Fighting Illini (15-7, 8-2) for the 18th straight time.
Illinois opened the dual with a three-match sweep in doubles action. After a quick 8-2 win at No. 3, UI's Marc Spicijaric and GD Jones edged Minnesota's Raoul Schwark and Mikey Kantar 8-6 at No. 2 to clinch the doubles point. The Illini completed the sweep at No. 1 with ninth-ranked Kevin Anderson and Ryan Rowe downing Sion Wilkins and Nich Edlefsen.
In singles play, Illinois cruised to the overall dual victory with five straight-set wins. Ruben Gonzales opened sinlges action with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Kantar at No. 4, followed by a 7-5, 6-0 win by Jones over D.J. Geatz at No. 5. Brandon Davis clinched the team victory at No. 6 with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Wilkins.
At No. 2, 19th-ranked Rowe defeated Andres Osorio, 6-4, 6-4, while sixth-ranked Anderson downed 84th-ranked Schwark 6-4, 6-3, in the lone meeting between two ranked players. Schwark's loss snapped a five-match winning streak and dropped his dual record to 15-6, including a 6-3 mark in Big Ten play.
Edlefsen picked up the Golden Gophers lone win of the day at No. 3 with a 7-6 (5), 2-6, 1-0 (10-8) victory at No. 3. The win was his third in his last four matches and moved his dual record to 10-8, including a 5-4 mark in league matches.
The Maroon and Gold wraps up the regular season tomorrow at 12 p.m., at Purdue. Minnesota then returns to West Lafayette, Ind., for the 2007 Big Ten Championship on April 26-29.
#34 Minnesota at #11 Illinois
April 21, 2007
Urbana, Ill.
Singles
1. #6 Kevin Anderson (ILL) def. #84 Raoul Schwark (MINN), 6-4, 6-3
2. #19 Ryan Rowe (ILL) def. Andres Osorio (MINN), 6-4, 6-4
3. Nich Edlefsen (MINN) vs. Marc Spicijaric (ILL), 7-6 (5), 2-6, 1-0 (10-8)
4. Ruben Gonzales (ILL) def. Mikey Kantar (MINN), 6-3, 6-1
5. GD Jones (ILL) def. D.J. Geatz (MINN), 7-5, 6-0
6. Brandon Davis (ILL) def. Sion Wilkins (MINN), 6-4, 6-4
Order of finish: 4,5,6,2,1,3
Doubles
1. #9 Anderson/Rowe (ILL) def. Wilkins/Edlefsen (MINN), 8-4
2. Spicijaric/Jones (ILL) def. Schwark/Kantar (MINN) 8-6
3. Davis/Gonzales (ILL) def. Chi Pham/Osorio (MINN) 8-2
Order of finish: 3,2,1
#11 Illinois def. #34 Minnesota, 6-1
Players Mentioned
