University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Southern Intercollegiates
Gophers Fare Well In Georgia
9/23/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Sept. 23, 2011
The men's tennis team got off to a roaring start at the Southern Intercollegiate Championships in Athens, Ga., this weekend.
The tournament, which runs from Sept. 23-26, features participants from 26 schools including Auburn, The Citadel, Davidson, Eastern Kentucky, East Tennessee State, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Liberty, Lipscomb, LSU, Mercer, Minnesota, Mississippi State, NC State, Samford, South Carolina, Stetson, Tennessee, Tennessee Tech, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Winthrop. This is the 44th edition of the Southern Intercollegiate Championships, and it is the oldest fall college tennis tournament in America.
The field is divided into three singles divisions and two doubles divisions, and there is a champion from each division. Nine Gophers are competing in the event and there are three Minnesota players in each singles division.
Junior Rok Bonin, who was 23-14 last year, is seeded 12th in the tournament and is in the top flight of 64 players. He needed little time to advance to the second round with a 6-2, 6-2 win against Miguel Cortez of Lipscomb. Bonin, who is ranked No. 80 in the Division I Preseason Men's Singles Rankings, faces Dusan Miljevic of Georgia Tech in the round of 32 on Saturday.
Senior Phillip Arndt and freshman Leandro Toledo are also competing in the top sinlges flight.
Toledo, who is one of five freshmen on Minnesota's roster began his collegiate career with a 6-2, 6-4 win against Eastern Kentucky's Hugo Klientovsky. Toledo now faces No. 1 seed Eric Quigley of Kentucky in the second round.
Arndt lost his first round match.
The second division is also made up of 64 players and includes senior Julian Dehn, junior Brendan Ruddock and freshman Mathieu Froment.
Dehn, who led the Gophers with 25 wins last year, outlasted Eric Diaz of host Georgia 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 in the first round. The native of Germany faces Ben Barnette of South Carolina in the second round.
Ruddock, who received the Jerry Noyce Most Improved Player award each of the last two seasons, rolled 6-3, 6-2 against Erik Halaj of Stetson in the first round. Ruddock will face Campbell Johnson of host Georgia in the second round.
Froment dropped LSU's Roger Anderson 7-6 (5), 6-0 in his first collegiate match and will face Auburn's Lucas Lopasso who advanced to the second round by injury.
Senior Michael Sicora, sophomore Juan Pablo Ramirez and freshman Eric Frueh are three of the 32 players who make up the third division.
Frueh, who is from Rochester, Minn., earned his first win as a Gopher with a 7-5, 6-2 win against Vanderbilt's Michael Retta. He then beat Georgia Southern's Andrew Dromsky, who was a three-set winner, in the second round.
Ramirez dusted Mercer's John Bauerle 6-1, 6-1 in the first round and Kyle Hoffman of Georgia Southern in the second round.
DIVISION I SINGLES
Round of 64
Leandro Toledo, Minnesota def. Hugo Klientovsky, E. Kentucky, 6-2, 6-4
Rok Bonin (12), Minnesota def. Miguel Cortez, Lipscomb, 6-2, 6-2
Nadav Ruppin, Winthrop def. Phillip Arndt, Minnesota, 6-2, 6-3
DIVISION II SINGLES
Round of 64
Mathieu Froment, Minnesota def. Roger Anderson, LSU, 7-6(5), 6-0
Julian Dehn, Minnesota def. Eric Diaz, Georgia, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3
Brendan Ruddock, Minnesota def. Erik Halaj, Stetson, 6-3, 6-2
DIVISION III SINGLES
Round of 32
Eric Frueh, Minnesota def. Michael Retta, Vanderbilt, 7-5, 6-2
Juan Pablo Ramirez, Minnesota def. John Bauerle, Mercer, 6-1, 6-1
Michael Sicora, Minnesota def. Josh Cook, Citadel, 6-0, 6-3
Round of 16
Eric Frueh, Minnesota def. Andrew Dromsky, Ga. Southern, 7-5, 6-4
Juan Pablo Ramirez, Minnesota def. Kyle Hoffman, Ga. Southern, 6-2, 7-5
Calum Gee, Davidson def. Michael Sicora, Minnesota, 7-5, 6-3
DIVISION I DOUBLES
Round of 64
Phillip Arndt/Mathieu Froment, Minnesota: Bye
Rok Bonin (3)/Julian Dehn (3), Minnesota: Bye
Round of 32
Chip Cox/Kyle Koch, South Carolina def. Phillip Arndt/Mathieu Froment, Minnesota, 8-5
Thomas Cook/Victor Valente, Ga. State def. Rok Bonin (3)/Julian Dehn (3), Minnesota, 9-8(11)
DIVISION II DOUBLES
Round of 64
Leandro Toledo/Eric Frueh, Minnesota: Bye
Juan Pablo Ramirez/Brendan Ruddock, Minnesota: Bye
Players Mentioned
