University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Northern Illinois
Gophers Earn 6-1 Victory in Season Opener
1/20/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Jan. 20, 2013
Tonight at the Baseline Tennis Center, the No. 35 Minnesota men's tennis team kick-started its 2013 regular season slate with a 6-1 victory over Northern Illinois. With the win, the Gophers begin the season with a 1-0 record, while the Huskies fall to 0-1.
Minnesota started strong in the doubles competition. Eric Frueh and Jack Hamburg, back from injury, paired up as the No. 3 doubles team. Together, they dished out an 8-0 victory over Axel Lagerlof and Simon Formont. At the No. 1 position, Rok Bonin and Mathieu Froment defeated Dor Amir and Fred Cadieux, 8-2, to clinch the team point for the Gophers. Juan Pablo Ramirez and Leandro Toledo played at No. 2 and marked a 7-3 lead over Jovan Zeljkovic and Max Phillips before the game was called.
On the singles side, three Gophers earned W's in two-set matches, while two other picked up wins with a tiebreaker round. Bonin (1) overpowered Amir, 6-2, 6-3; Toledo (2) swept Lagerlof, 6-1, 6-3; and Hamburg (6) defeated Formont, 6-1, 6-3.
Ramirez at No. 4 and Ruben Weber at No. 5 each tallied wins after fighting through tiebreaker rounds. Ramirez outlasted Phillips, 6-4, 7-6 (5). Weber earned his first regular season victory as a Gopher, winning 6-3, 4-6 (6) over Zeljkovic.
Froment competed at the No. 3 position and put up a tough fight in an extended tiebreaker but ultimately fell to Cadieux by scores of 4-6, 6-3, (13-11).
Next up, the Gophers will partake in a four-team competition in Athens, Ga. as part of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. On Jan. 25, Minnesota will begin play against Virginia Commonwealth at 9 a.m. CT.
Minnesota 6, Northern Illinois 1
Doubles
No. 1 Bonin/Froment (MINN) def. Amir/Cadieux (NIU), 8-2
No. 2 Toledo/Ramirez (MINN) over Zlejkovic/Phillips (NIU), 7-3 (unfinished)
No. 3 Hamburg.Frueh (MINN) def. Lagerlof/Formont (NIU), 8-0
Singles
No. 1 Bonin (MINN) def. Amir (NIU), 6-2, 6-3
No. 2 Toledo (MINN) def. Lagerlof (NIU), 6-1, 6-3
No. 3 Cadieux (NIU) def. Froment (MINN), 4-6, 6-3, (13-11)
No. 4 Ramirez (MINN) def. Phillips (NIU), 6-4, 7-6 (5)
No. 5 Weber (MINN) def. Zeljkovic (NIU), 6-3, 4-6 (10-6)
No. 6 Hamburg (MINN) def. Formont (NIU), 6-1, 6-3
Players Mentioned
