University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Illinois
Gophers Suffer 4-2 Defeat At No. 17 Illinois
4/1/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 1, 2012
A day after dropping a 4-3 decision at Northwestern, the Minnesota men's tennis team lost 4-2 at No. 17 Illinois. The marathon match went 4:08 before it was abandoned so the Gophers could make their flight out of Chicago back to Minneapolis.
The 36th-ranked Gophers, who had a seven-match win streak snapped yesterday at Northwestern, are now 8-5 overall and 3-2 in the Big Ten.
Illinois jumped out to a 1-0 lead at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex in Urbana, Ill., after winning the doubles point. Minnesota had previously won nine straight doubles points before today.
The Gophers' top duo of Rok Bonin and Julian Dehn, which is ranked No. 22, suffered its first loss of the season losing 9-7 to No. 45 Dennis Nevolo and Roy Kalmanovich in the deciding match at No. 1 doubles.
Bonin and Dehn are now 11-1 during the spring season and 30-4 since they started playing together last year.
Leandro Toledo and Juan Pablo Ramirez improved to 9-0 in doubles this year with an 8-6 win against Stephen Hoh and Farris Gosea at the third position. The Gophers' freshman pairing of Jack Hamburg and Eric Frueh lost 8-4 at No. 2 doubles.
Illinois built a 3-0 lead with wins at fifth and first singles. Tim Kopinski beat Hamburg 6-3, 6-4 at the fifth slot, while the fourth-ranked Nevolo handed Bonin a 6-2, 6-1 loss at the top position.
Minnesota got on the board after Julian Dehn put together a 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 4 singles against Bruno Abdelnour.
The Gophers, who ended a 19-match losing streak to Illinois last year, then made it a 3-2 contest after freshman No. 80 Leandro Toledo upset No. 31 Kalmanovich 6-4, 5-7, 6-0 at the second position.
The match came down to third and six singles and both were headed deep into the third sets after every other match was finished. The Illini squeezed out the win when Ross Guignon prevailed 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 against Michael Sicora at the sixth position.
After Illinois had clinched the overall victory, the remaining match at No. 3 between Phillip Arndt and Hoh was abandoned so the Gophers could make their flight from Chicago back to Minneapolis. Arndt won the first set in a 6-2, 3-6, 6-6 match before it was abandoned.
The Gophers return to action this weekend when they host Penn State (April 6) and No. 2 Ohio State (April 8) at Baseline Tennis Center.
Minnesota vs Illinois
Apr 01, 2012 at Urbana, Ill.
(Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex)
#17 Illinois 4, #36 Minnesota 2
Singles competition
1. #4 Dennis Nevolo (ILL) def. Rok Bonin (MINN) 6-2, 6-1
2. #80 Leandro Toledo (MINN) def. #31 Roy Kalmanovich (ILL) 6-4, 5-7, 6-0
3. Stephen Hoh (ILL) vs. Phillip Arndt (MINN) 2-6, 6-3, 6-6 (5-2), unfinished
4. Julian Dehn (MINN) def. Bruno Abdelnour (ILL) 6-4, 6-4
5. Tim Kopinski (ILL) def. Jack Hamburg (MINN) 6-3, 6-4
6. Ross Guignon (ILL) def. Michael Sicora (MINN) 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
Doubles competition
1. #45 Dennis Nevolo/Roy Kalmanovich (ILL) def. #22 Rok Bonin/Julian Dehn (MINN) 9-7
2. Tim Kopinski/Ross Guignon (ILL) def. Jack Hamburg/Eric Frueh (MINN) 8-4
3. Leandro Toledo/Juan Pablo Ramirez (MINN) def. Stephen Hoh/Farris Gosea (ILL) 8-6
Match Notes:
Minnesota 8-5, 3-2 Big Ten; National ranking #36
Illinois 11-3, 5-0 Big Ten; National ranking #17
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (5,1,4,2,6)
Players Mentioned
