University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Roll Past Hawkeyes in 7-0 Shutout
4/17/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Minnesota posted its first sweep over a Big Ten opponent in nearly three years as the Gophers improved to 17-6 for the season with a 7-0 sweep of Iowa on Friday at the Baseline Tennis Center.
The 33rd-ranked Gophers also took two of three doubles matches for their first shutout of a Big Ten foe since blanking Purdue on April 23, 2006. After clinching the match with three straight-set singles wins, it took three match tiebreaker wins all in dramatic fashion to finish off the sweep.
Minnesota is now alone in third place in the Big Ten standings with a 6-3 mark and finishes its regular season on Saturday at home against Purdue at noon. Iowa, ranked 63rd in the country, fell to 11-8 overall and 3-6 in the Big Ten with its 11th straight loss to the Gophers.
Playing their first home outdoor match of the season, Minnesota got off to a strong start when Ishay Hadash and Sebastian Gallego dispatched the nation’s 78th-ranked doubles tandem Chrisian Bierich and Reinoud Haal 8-1 at No. 1. Julian Dehn and Tobias Wernet clinched the doubles point with an 8-5 win over Tommy McGeorge and Will Vasos at No. 2. Iowa salvaged a doubles win at No. 3 when Gregory Holm and Tom Mroziewicz edged Phillip Arndt and Michael Sicora by an 8-6 tiebreaker score.
Dino Bilankov needed slightly more than one hour to roll past Vasos 6-1, 6-2 at No. 4 singles and the Gophers clinched the match when Hadash took out Bierich 6-1, 6-3 at No. 1 and Sicora defeated McGeorge 6-4, 6-3.
Dehn gave Minnesota a 5-0 advantage when he won the last five points of his match tiebreaker to rally past Mroziewicz 6-2, 2-6, (10-6) at No. 5. Gallego also came through in a tight match, surviving a match tiebreaker over Nikita Zotov 6-4, 4-6, (11-9) at No. 3.
Wernet clinched the Gophers’ sweep by rallying from a set down and three match points back in the match tiebreaker at No. 2. Wernet won the final five points of his match to edge Haal 6-7, 6-2, (11-9).
#33 Minnesota 7, #63 Iowa 0
Doubles
1. Ishay Hadash/Sebastian Gallego (MINN) def. #78 Christian Bierich/Reinoud Haal (IOWA) 8-1
2. Julian Dehn/Tobias Wernet (MINN) def. Tommy McGeorge/Will Vasos (IOWA) 8-5
3. Gregory Holm/Tom Mroziewicz (IOWA) def. Phillip Arndt/Michael Sicora (MINN) 8-7 (8-6)
Singles
1. #62 Ishay Hadash (MINN) def. Christian Bierich (IOWA) 6-1, 6-3
2. #80 Tobias Wernet (MINN) def. Reinoud Haal (IOWA) 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 1-0 (11-9)
3. Sebastian Gallego (MINN) def. Nikita Zotov (IOWA) 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (11-9)
4. Dino Bilankov (MINN) def. Will Vasos (IOWA) 6-1, 6-2
5. Julian Dehn (MINN) def. Tom Mroziewicz (IOWA) 6-2, 2-6, 1-0 (10-6)
6. Michael Sicora (MINN) def. Tommy McGeorge (IOWA) 6-4, 6-3
Match Notes:
Iowa 11-8, 3-6 Big Ten; National ranking #63
Minnesota 17-6, 6-3 Big Ten; National ranking #33
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (4,1,6,5,3,2)
Match played outdoors
Players Mentioned
