University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Begin 2014-15 at Penn Invitational
9/24/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Six members of the University of Minnesota men's tennis team will begin the 2014-15 season at the Penn Invitational this weekend that runs Friday through Sunday. Matches will take place outside at the Hamlin Tennis Courts in Penn Park and inside the Levy Tennis Pavilion in Philadelphia, Pa.
Representing the Gophers will be seniors Eric Frueh and Tucker Saxon, junior Ruben Weber, sophomore Jeremy Lynn, and freshmen Felix Corwin and Matic Spec.
Joining Minnesota and host Penn will be joined by players from St. John's, Columbia, Princeton, Binghamton, Yale, Temple, Penn State, Buffalo, Cornell, Drexel, Georgetown, Lehigh, and Monmouth.
There will be eight singles flights and four doubles flights.
REVIEWING 2013-14
Last year, the Minnesota men's tennis team went 11-13 with a 5-6 mark in Big Ten play. Seventeen of the team's 24 matches came against ranked opponents. The team fared better at home than on the road or in neutral site matches, going 8-4 at the Baseline Tennis Center.
Then-junior Leandro Toledo shined individually, becoming the Gophers' first ITA All-American since 2002 after reaching the third round of the NCAA Singles Tournament. Going 23-10 overall with an 18-6 ledger at the No. 1 position, Toledo was one of four unanimous First Team All-Big Ten selections and finished the year ranked No. 36 nationally.
In doubles, Jack Hamburg and Mathieu Froment burst onto the scene as one of the best pairings in the nation. The duo finished 24-5, going 11-2 in the fall and 13-3 in the spring as the team's No. 1 tandem. An alternate pairing for the NCAA Doubles Tournament, Hamburg and Froment finished the year ranked No. 35 in the ITA rankings.
WHO'S RETURNING?
The Gophers have a strong, five-member senior class coming back in 2014-15, made up of All-American Leandro Toledo, Jack Hamburg, Mathieu Froment, Eric Frueh, and Tucker Saxon. Join that quintet will be joined by junior Ruben Weber, who played No. 2 singles for Minnesota in every match last season, and sophomore Jeremy Lynn.
In total, the returnees combined for 80 singles wins and contributed to 47 doubles victories in 2013-14.
WELCOME TO MINNESOTA
Minnesota, which lost two members of its 2013-14 squad, are bringing aboard two newcomers for this season. Felix Corwin of Elm Grove, Wis. begins his career in Maroon and Gold after winning Wisconsin state singles titles in 2013 and 2014. Matic Spec of Maribor, Slovenia comes to Minneapolis after winning four international singles tournaments and six Slovenian singles titles.
ALL-AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
The three Gophers not attending the Penn Invitational--seniors Leandro Toledo, Jack Hamburg, and Mathieu Froment--will compete in the 2014 Saint Francis Health System ITA Men's All-American Championships, which take place in Tulsa, Okla.
Pre-qualifying for that tournament begins Saturday and main-draw play begins Thursday, Oct. 2.
Toledo, ranked No. 22 nationally entering the season, will compete in the singles main draw, while Hamburg and Froment will begin singles in the qualifying round. As a doubles tandem, Hamburg and Froment will play in the main draw as the No. 11-ranked duo in the country.
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Players Mentioned
