University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Heads to NCAA Tournament
5/10/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Minnesota vs. Fresno State: Minnesota defeated then-No. 28 Fresno State 4-2 in the team's third match of the season on Jan. 29, a neutral-site contest at UCLA's Los Angeles Tennis Center that was part of ITA Kickoff Weekend. It was the first win in program history against Fresno State for the Gophers, who were ranked 33rd at the time. The match began with Minnesota's Phillip Arndt and Sebastian Gallego taking down the Bulldogs' top-25 doubles tandem of Remi Boutillier and Rikus de Villiers 8-6. Rok Bonin and Tobias Wernet secured the doubles point with a 9-7 defeat of Francis Alcantara and Jean-Charles Diame, cutting short Julian Dehn and Brendan Ruddock's match against Siddharth Alapati and Nick Papac that was tied 6-6. Ruddock then started singles play with a straight-set triumph against Alapati. Wins by FSU's de Villiers and Boutillier at the top two positions knotted the score, but Wernet and Dehn sealed the win with victories at the No. 3 and 6 spots. Friday's first-round match that pits No. 19 Minnesota against the 38th-ranked Bulldogs will mark the first NCAA Tournament meeting between the schools. Minnesota is 1-3 all time against Fresno State.
Minnesota vs. California and Marist: If Minnesota wins on Friday they will play either California or Marist. The Gophers are 0-1 all time against California and have never played Marist. California beat Minnesota 5-3 in 1986 in the regular season.
Big Ten Tournament Recap: After receiving a first-round bye in the Big Ten Tournament, third-seeded Minnesota faced No. 6 Wisconsin in the quarterfinals. Doubles wins by Tobias Wernet and Juan Pablo Ramirez and the red-hot duo of Rok Bonin and Julian Dehn gave the Gophers a 1-0 lead. Singles victories by Brendan Ruddock, Dehn, and Bonin put away the host Badgers, who knocked Minnesota out of the 2010 conference tournament. The following day, Minnesota became the only team in the tournament to pull off an upset by getting doubles victories from the same two doubles teams and singles triumphs by Ruddock, Wernet, and Dehn to oust second-seeded Indiana. The Hoosiers had beaten the Gophers earlier in the year. After 4-0 wins in their first two tournament matches, the Gophers were downed by Ohio State by the same score in their first Big Ten championship match since 2003. OSU took No. 1 and 3 doubles and No. 1, 2, and 3 singles, but Phillip Arndt, Ruddock, and Dehn won the first set at Nos. 4-6 singles when their matches were abandoned due to match completion.
Playing The Best: Sixteen of Minnesota's 24 opponents were ranked by the ITA as of May 2. Against those teams, the Gophers were 14-5 this season. Minnesota played ranked foes Wisconsin (two wins), Indiana (one win, one loss) and Ohio State (two losses) twice this season.
Big Ten Regular Season Success: Minnesota went 8-2 in the Big Ten this year, which was its best season in conference play since it was 8-2 in 2004. The Gophers finished third in the league behind Ohio State (10-0) and Indiana (9-1) to secure their second top-three Big Ten finish in coach Geoff Young's five year tenure. Minnesota also placed third in 2009 when it finished the Big Ten season with a 7-3 mark.
Not A Lot: The Gophers are 19-5 this year and all five of their losses came to teams currently ranked in the top 26. The five defeats tie the fewest in a season by Minnesota since it was 23-5 in 1994. The Gophers finished 28-3 in 1993.
Off Court Success: The men's tennis team was recently recognized as the most outstanding team in regards to community service. The Gophers received a Golden Goldy at a recent athletic banquet for their commitment to giving back to the community. The team performed more community service hours on average than any other men's athletic team at Minnesota.
Grinding It Out: Of Minnesota's 17 regular-season wins only five were either 7-0 or 6-1. The Gophers defeated No. 41 Nebraska 6-1, No. 70 Northwestern 6-1, Marquette 6-1, Penn State 6-1 and Denver 7-0. Minnesota earned four points in six of its wins this year and five points in the remaining six.
Warning: Deep End: Minnesota was very competitive at the four, five and six positions this season. Including the Big Ten tournament, the Gophers were 13-6 at No. 3, 14-8 at No. 4 and 15-8 at No. 6 for a collective 42-22 record. Minnesota, which was 14-9 at second singles, had a collective record of 36-31 at spots one, two and three.
Double Dip: In 21 of the 24 matches the Gophers played, whichever team won the doubles point won the overall match. Minnesota lost the doubles point against No. 28 Virginia Tech and No. 39 Wisconsin (regular season), but still won the overall matches 4-3 and 5-2, respectively. The Gophers won the doubles point against No. 27 Indiana (regular season), but lost the match 4-3.
Rok Solid: Rok Bonin was a perfect 12-0 (regular season and Big Ten tournament) in Big Ten doubles play at the second position this season. He was 4-0 when paired with Tobias Wernet and 8-0 when he partnered with Julian Dehn. Bonin was named first team All-Big Ten.
Terrific Tobias: Tobias Wernet began the season playing No. 4 singles, but ended the year as the top player for Minnesota. The senior was a team-best 17-5 in the spring season and was 8-2 in the Big Ten. Wernet was 3-4 against ranked competition this season and ended the year with a 5-3 record at No. 1, a 5-1 record at No. 2, a 6-1 record at No. 3 and a 1-0 record at No. 4. His signature win of the year was a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 upset of tenth-ranked Dennis Nevolo of Illinois on April 22. Wernet was named the Big Ten Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week for April 5 and April 26 and was a unanimous first team All-Big Ten selection
Road Warriors: Minnesota was 5-0 on the road in Big Ten regular-season play and was successful against non-conference teams on the road as well. The Gophers recorded road wins against ranked foes Miami (Fla.) and Nebraska and picked up neutral-site wins against St. Mary's and a ranked Fresno State team. Collectively, including the Big Ten tournament, Minnesota was 11-3 away from home.
PHILLIP ARNDT • JUNIOR
Spring Season: Was 11-7 in singles and 14-6 in doubles in the spring season • won four straight singles matches from Feb. 4-20 • all but two wins came in straight sets • went 11-4 at the No. 4 and lost consecutive matches only once • competed at No. 1 doubles in all 20 matches he played in (was 2-2 with Brendan Ruddock while regular partner Sebastian Gallego was hurt) • was 12-4 in dual match play when partnered with Gallego • Gopher tandem finished ranked 71st in the country by the ITA • won seven consecutive matches from Feb. 20 to April 2 • won an epic 9-8 (14) match to clinch a doubles competition win against Northwestern on 3/25. Big Ten tournament: Played at the fourth position in all three of Minnesota's Big Ten tournament matches, but all three matches went unfinished due match completion • topped No. 47 Matt Allare of Ohio State in first set of his championship match before it was abandoned • lost Big Ten tournament matches against No. 65 Billy Bertha and Marek Michalicka of Wisconsin in quarterfinals and No. 18 Matt Allare and Peter Kobelt of Ohio State in championship • had semifinal match against 45th-ranked Jeremy Langer and Santiago Gruter abandoned with an 8-7 deficit. Fall Season: Finished the fall season with a 10-3 singles record • defeated Jeremy Langer for the second time in as many days to win the Big Ten Indoor singles consolation title (10/30) • defeated 61st-ranked Christopher Aumueller of Nebraska 6-4, 6-4 at the ITA Central Region Championships to cap a six-match winning streak (10/22) • had a 5-6 fall doubles ledger paired with three different teammates • teamed up with Sebastian Gallego to reach quarterfinals of the ITA Central Region Championships (10/22-23).
ROK BONIN • SOPHOMORE
Spring Season: Went 10-11 in singles play and 14-6 in doubles • first team All-Big Ten • played at No. 1 singles for 14 of 21 dual matches; played No. 2 in the rest • won seven of eight matches from 2/20 to 4/2 • beat 122nd-ranked Mauricio Ballivian of Drake in straight sets on 2/25 • decided 4-3 victory over No. 25 Miami with a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (8) win at No. 1 • took down Illinois' Roy Kalmanovich at No. 2 on 4/22 to clinch Minnesota's first victory over Illinois since 1996 • played at No. 2 doubles in all but one match for the Gophers, going 10-0 in Big Ten play (6-0 with Julian Dehn and 4-0 with Tobias Wernet) • had a dominating 8-1 doubles record when paired with Dehn (finished season ranked No. 76) • won final eight doubles matches overall, including two wins over ranked opponents • with Dehn, topped 66th-ranked Chase Buchanan and Shuhei Uzawa of Ohio State 8-4 on 4/17, becoming one of three Big Ten doubles duos to beat an OSU doubles team this season. Big Ten tournament: Played No. 2 position at Big Ten tournament • secured quarterfinal win over Wisconsin with a straight-set win over Billy Bertha • had semifinal match against Indiana abandoned due to match decision and lost to third-ranked Blaz Rola of Ohio State in the championship in two sets • won doubles matches against Wisconsin 8-5 (quarterfinals) and Indiana 8-6 (semifinals) before having championship rematch against Buchanan and Uzawa abandoned. Fall Season: Went 11-2 in fall singles play with both losses coming to ranked opponents • won singles title at Denver Pioneer Invitational by going 4-0 against opponents from Denver and New Mexico (9/24-26) • went 3-0 at Chowder Fest at Harvard University, taking down opponents from Harvard, South Carolina, and Notre Dame (10/1-3) • won three straight matches to reach semifinals of the Lakewood Ranch Clay Court Classic in Tampa, Fla., including a 6-4, 6-4 win over No. 72 Christian Blocker of Florida (11/12) • had a cumulative 8-3 record (including eight wins in his last nine matches) in doubles play in the fall, teaming up with Tobias Werner, Philip Arndt, and Julian Dehn • won the Lakewood Ranch doubles title paired with Dehn, defeating Andrew Butz and Michael Alford of Florida 9-8 (3) in the final match (11/14).
JULIAN DEHN • JUNIOR
Spring Season: Had a 13-8 singles record and was 16-4 in doubles in the spring • played in every match for the Gophers at either the No. 5 or 6 spot • was 10-3 at No. 6 • won 10 of 13 matches from 1/29 to 4/2 • saw action at all three doubles positions during the spring, going 8-2 in Big Ten play (2-2 with Brendan Ruddock and 6-0 with Rok Bonin) • had an impressive 8-1 doubles record when paired with Bonin (finished season ranked No. 76) and was 8-3 with Ruddock • won final nine doubles matches overall, including two wins over ranked opponents • on 4/17, teamed with Bonin to defeat 66th-ranked Chase Buchanan and Shuhei Uzawa of Ohio State 8-4, becoming one of three Big Ten doubles twosomes to beat an OSU doubles pair all season. Big Ten tournament: Played in each of team's tournament matches at No. 6 • beat Wisconsin's Alex Robles in straight sets in quarterfinals and locked up semifinal match against Indiana with a 6-2, 6-4 triumph over Dimitrige Tasic • championship match against 74th-ranked Devin McCarthy of Ohio State was abandoned after Dehn won first set in a tiebreaker because of match completion. • won doubles matches against Wisconsin 8-5 (quarterfinals) and Indiana 8-6 (semifinals) before having championship rematch against Buchanan and Uzawa abandoned. Fall Season: Went 10-4 in singles play in the fall season • won all but one match in each fall tournament he played in • reached the semifinals in a field of 64 players of the Big Ten Indoor Tournament, defeating Brian Alden of Illinois, Billy Bertha of Wisconsin, and Josh MacTaggert and Isade Juneau of Indiana (10/30-31) • reached consolation draw final at Lakewood Ranch Clay Court Classic defeating No. 96 Carl Sundberg on the way (11/12-14) • played with four doubles partners in the fall, going 10-2 on the season • finished the fall by defeating Andrew Butz and Michael Alford of Florida 9-8 (3) in the final match of the Lakewood Ranch Classic doubles finals partnered with Rok Bonin (11/14).
SEBASTIAN GALLEGO • SENIOR
Spring Season: Was 7-8 in singles and 12-5 in doubles in dual match play • won four consecutive matches from 2/6-2/25, taking down 85th-ranked Filipp Pogostkin of Boise State and winning his only No. 1 singles match of the year at Nebraska in the process • competed at No. 1 doubles with Phillip Arndt in all but one match in which he played in the spring, going 12-4 • Gopher tandem finished ranked 71st in the country by the ITA • won seven of eight matches from Feb. 20 to April 2 • won an epic 9-8 (14) doubles match with Arndt to clinch a doubles competition win against Northwestern on March 25. Big Ten tournament: Played at No. 3 against Wisconsin (quarterfinals), Indiana (semifinals), and Ohio State (championship) in Big Ten tournament • tight matches against Wisconsin and Indiana went unfinished because of match completion and lost to No. 105 Ille Van Engelen of OSU in straight sets in the final • dropped Big Ten tournament matches to No. 65 Billy Bertha and Marek Michalicka of Wisconsin in quarterfinals and No. 18 Matt Allare and Peter Kobelt of Ohio State in championship • had semifinal match against 45th-ranked Jeremy Langer and Santiago Gruter abandoned with an 8-7 deficit. Fall Season: Went 1-5 in fall singles play • lone win came against Guillermo Nicol of Wichita State at the ITA Central Region Championships in Norman, Okla. (10/22) • had a 4-4 doubles record in the fall, partnered with Tobias Wernet, Philip Arndt, and Brendan Ruddock • won two matches to reach quarterfinals at ITA Central Region Championships in Norman, Okla. with Arndt as the 28th-ranked doubles duo • reached the semifinals of the Lakewood Ranch Clay Court Classic in Tampa, Fla. with Wernet (11/12-14).
DEREK PETERSON • SENIOR 
Spring Season: Did not compete in any matches. Fall Season: Went 4-6 in singles play in the fall • posted a 2-2 record at the Denver Pioneer Invitational, taking down both Angel Alvarez of Denver and Simon Hegelund in straight sets • went 4-5 in doubles in the fall, partnered with three different teammates • won the Flight B doubles consolation draw and the Big Ten Indoor Tournament in East Lansing, Mich. with Philip Arndt (10/29).
JUAN PABLO RAMIREZ • FRESHMAN
Spring Season: Went 1-3 in singles and 4-2 in doubles as a new addition to the team in the spring • posted first collegiate win against Angel Alvarez 6-1, 6-1 on 3/26 to help Minnesota complete its only sweep of the season against Denver • played all six doubles matches (4-2 record) alongside Tobias Wernet, winning three straight from 4/8-15. Big Ten tournament: Teamed with Wernet in Big Ten tournament doubles play • duo kicked off Big Ten doubles competition in quarterfinal against Wisconsin and in semifinal against Indiana with 8-2 and 8-6 wins, respectively • tandem lost 8-4 in championship to Blaz Rola and Balazs Novak of Ohio State. Fall Season: Joined the team in January so he did not compete in the fall.
BRENDAN RUDDOCK • SOPHOMORE
Spring Season: Had a ledger of 12-7 in singles and 10-9 in doubles • was last undefeated Minnesota player to compete in more than four singles matches after beginning the season with six wins in a row • played at No. 3, 4, and 5 positions, going 9-3 at the fifth flight • was 4-2 in three-set decisions • played with four different doubles partners and at all three doubles positions • clinched doubles point with Arndt with a doubles win over Penn State on 4/15, beating No. 67 Russell Bader and Eddie Bourchier. Big Ten tournament: Played No. 5 singles in all three of Minnesota's Big Ten tournament matches • posted victories over Rodney Carey of Wisconsin in the quarterfinals and Stephen Vogl of Indiana in semifinals to help team advance to championship • had championship match against No. 98 Balazs Novak of Ohio State abandoned after winning first set 6-2. Fall Season: Was 6-4 in singles and 4-5 in doubles • started fall with three straight losses at the Denver Pioneer Invitational, but won six straight from 9/26 to 10/30 • reached Round of 16 in singles at the Big Ten Indoor Tournament in East Lansing, Mich. (10/29-11/1) • reached Flight A semifinals in doubles with Julian Dehn at the Big Ten Indoors.
MICHAEL SICORA • JUNIOR
Spring Season: Split four singles matches and did not compete in doubles during the spring • secured a Minnesota win over Purdue with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 win over Pawel Poziomski on 4/10. Fall Season: Had a fall singles record of 4-5 • three of four wins came in three sets • beat Chris Hasyn of Penn State and Drew Lied of Michigan State to reach Round of 16 at Big Ten Indoor Tournament in East Lansing, Mich. (10/30) • went 4-3 in doubles in the fall, playing all but one match partnered with Eddie Svenda.
Players Mentioned
