University of Minnesota Athletics
Louisville Hands Gophers Season's First Loss
2/7/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Minnesota suffered its first dual meet loss of the season on Friday as the Gophers fell at 42nd-ranked Louisville 4-3.
The Cardinals swept the doubles matches to take a 1-0 lead and then added three singles victories for the win as they improved to 6-1 overall. Minnesota dropped to 2-1 overall after its third straight match against a Big East opponent to open the season.
Sebastian Gallego and Kentucky native Phil Arndt led the Gophers with straight-set victories as Gallego posted a 6-4, 6-2 win over Viktor Maksimcuk at No. 3 singles and Arndt edged Robert Rotaru 7-6, 6-3 at No. 4. Tobias Wernet added the Gophers’ third win in a third-set super tiebreaker with a 7-6, 4-6, (10-2) win over Simon Childs at No. 2.
The Gophers’ No. 1 singles player, Ishay Hadash, took the nation’s 47th-ranked player, Austen Childs, to a second-set tiebreaker, but lost 6-4, 7-6. Hadash’s brother, Johnathan, made his Minnesota debut at No. 5 and lost to Robert Hall 6-3, 6-4. Michael Sicora played No. 6 singles and fell to Alejandro Calligari 6-0, 6-4.
In doubles, Ishay Hadash and Arndt had the Gophers’ best performance with a 9-8 loss to Maksimcuk and Hall at No. 3. Wernet and Sicora battled Rotaru and Calligari, the nation’s 44th-ranked team, to an 8-5 loss at No. 2, while Gallego and Dino Bilankov lost to Childs and Childs 8-6 at No. 1.
The Gophers wrap up their trip on Saturday with a match at Eastern Kentucky in Richmond, Ky.
#42 Louisville 4 - Minnesota 3
Singles
1. #47 Austen Childs (UL) d. Ishay Hadash (UM) 6-4, 7-6
2. #75 Tobias Wernet (UM) d. Simon Childs (UL) 7-6, 4-6, (10-2)
3. Sebastian Gallego (UM) d. Viktor Maksimcuk (UL) 6-4, 6-2
4. Phil Arndt (UM) d. Robert Rotaru (UL) 7-6, 6-3
5. Robert Hall (UL) d. Jonathan Hadash (UM) 6-3, 6-4
6. Alejandro Calligari (UL) d. Michael Sicora 6-0, 6-4
Doubles
1. Childs/Childs (UL) d. #22 Gallego/Dino Bilankov (UM) 8-6
2. #44 Rotaru/Calligari (UL) d. #26 Wernet/Sicora 8-5
3. Maksimcuk/Hall (UL) d. I. Hadash/Arudt 9-8
Players Mentioned
