University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers to Host Washington and Drake
3/1/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
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Minneapolis, Minn. - The No. 32 ranked University of Minnesota men's tennis team will play their final two matches of a five-match homestand at Baseline Tennis Center this weekend. The Gophers will play the No. 47 ranked University of Washington on Friday night at 5 p.m., and Drake University at noon on Sunday.
The Maroon & Gold are currently 9-2, and hold an impressive home record of 8-1. Their first home loss came last Friday, as then ranked No. 8 Oklahoma State grabbed a 5-2 victory.
The No. 32 ranked doubles pair of Matic Spec and Felix Corwin were handed their first loss of the season, as No. 4 Julian Cash and Arjun Kadhe had the upper hand in a 6-3 set. Spec and Corwin now hold an 8-1 record on the season.
On the singles side Corwin had an impressive 6-4, 6-2 singles victory over No. 69 Kadhe, while Josip Krstanovic earned the other point for Minnesota with a 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 win over Jurence Mendoza. The Gophers took the Cowboys down to the wire, as Marino Alpeza and No. 68 Spec both lost in three-set thrillers to close out the night.
Minnesota looks for their tenth win of the season on Friday night against Washington, and hold a 5-9 all-time record against the Huskies. Drake's visit on Sunday will be the 15th match between the two schools, with the Gophers holding the edge, 11-3.
The Gophers begin Big Ten play on March 11th, when they travel across the border to battle No. 31 Wisconsin. The match is the first of three road matches before Minnesota returns home on March 26th to host Iowa.
Gophers in the Rankings
The Gophers continue to see players in the rankings in both singles and doubles, while ranked No. 32 as a team. Spec and Corwin are ranked No. 32 in the ITA National Tennis Rankings. Spec is also ranked No. 68 for singles, while Stefan Milicevic comes in an No. 117.
About Washington
Washington carries a 7-3 record on the year, and is currently 0-2 on the road. Most recently, the Huskies lost 4-3 to Indiana in a thriller match in Seattle. UW is currently ranked No. 47 in the latest ITA National Tennis Rankings, but have no players ranked on the singles or doubles side.
About Drake
Drake holds a 6-5 record on the season, but is currently on a three-match losing streak. Then No. 23 ranked Oregon is the latest team to earn a victory over the Bulldogs, as they grabbed a 7-0 victory in Eugene. Notable wins for Drake include a 4-3 victories at Iowa and against Rice University at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. Although not ranked as a team, the Bulldogs see Vinny Gillespie ranked No. 55 on the singles side.
You can follow all of the action this year on the Gophers' Facebook, Twitter, and Instragram.
Players Mentioned
