University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Nearly Pull Off Late Night Magic Against Wisconsin
4/26/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Minnesota battled second-seeded Wisconsin late into the night, but fell just short in a 4-3 loss in the Big Ten men’s tennis tournament quarterfinals on Friday night and early Saturday morning in Iowa City, Iowa.
The match came down to the No. 5 singles contest where Wisconsin’s Felipe Bellido rallied past Minnesota’s Chi Pham 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in a match that ended at 1:11 a.m. The Gophers ended their season at 7-17 overall, while Wisconsin, ranked 34th in the country, is 17-7 and moves on to a semifinal match against Illinois on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Wisconsin took two of three doubles matches for a 1-0 lead with Minnesota getting a victory from Raoul Schwark and Pierre Dumas by an 8-6 count at No. 3.
The Badgers pushed the advantage to 2-0 as 47th-ranked Moritz Baumann beat 91st-ranked Schwark 6-3, 6-4 at No. 1 singles, but Minnesota clinched three straight victories to take the lead. Dino Bilankov pulled out a 7-5, 7-5 win over Jeremy Sonkin at No. 4 and Dumas added a three-set win over Luke Rassow-Kantor 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 at No. 6. Tobias Wernet knocked off the Badgers’ No. 2 player in 98th-ranked Nolan Polley 7-5, 7-6 to put the Gophers ahead.
Wisconsin evened the match with a three-set win at No. 3 as Marek Michalicka outlasted Sebastian Gallego 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 before Bellido’s clinching win in the final match.
#34 Wisconsin 4, Minnesota 3
Singles
1. #47 Moritz Baumann (WIS) def. #91 Raoul Schwark (MINN) 6-3, 6-4
2. Tobias Wernet (MINN) def. #98 Nolan Polley (WIS) 7-5, 7-6 (7-5)
3. Marek Michalicka (WIS) def. Sebastian Gallego (MINN) 6-1, 3-6, 6-4
4. Dino Bilankov (MINN) def. Jeremy Sonkin (WIS) 7-5, 7-5
5. Felipe Bellido (WIS) def. Chi-Lang Pham (MINN) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
6. Pierre Dumas (MINN) def. Luke Rassow-Kantor (WIS) 6-4, 2-6, 7-5
Doubles
1. Nolan Polley/Moritz Baumann (WIS) def. Dino Bilankov/Sebastian Gallego (MINN) 8-2
2. Michael Dierberger/Luke Rassow-Kantor (WIS) def. Chi-Lang Pham/Tobias Wernet (MINN) 8-5
3. Raoul Schwark/Pierre Dumas (MINN) def. Jeremy Sonkin/Marek Michalicka (WIS) 8-6
Match Notes:
Wisconsin 17-7; National ranking #34
Minnesota 7-17
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (1,4,6,2,3,5)
Match moved indoors and completed at 1:11 a.m.
Players Mentioned
