University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Illinois
Gophers Rally for Comeback Victory Over Illini
3/31/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Minneapolis, Minn. - The No. 33-ranked University of Minnesota men's tennis team improved to 3-1 in conference play with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Illinois Friday night. Now holding a 14-4 record on the season, the Gophers have won three straight matches, all in Big Ten Play
Doubles
The first set to finish was at No. 2 doubles, as Eli Ogilvy and Justyn Levin saw their comeback fall short against Aleks Vukic and Vuk Budic in a 6-4 loss. The next set at No. 1 doubles went to the Gophers, as No. 69 Matic Spec and Felix Corwin defeated Aleks Kovacevic and Alex Jesse 7-5.
In a battle for the doubles point clincher, Josip Krstanovic and Marino Alpeza fell in a tiebreaker to Gui Gomes and Zeke Clark 7-6(2) at No. 3 doubles.
Singles
No. 80 Spec was the first to finish his match on the singles side, losing 6-4, 6-2 to No. 20 Vukic in the top slot, giving Illinois a 2-0 lead. Minnesota grabbed the first point in its comeback victory with a win at No. 5 singles. After losing the first set 2-6, Krstanovic came back to win the next two sets 7-6(3), 6-2 which gave a spark to the Gophers' night.
At No. 4 singles, Ogilvy was the only player for the Maroon & Gold to win his first set. He was next to add a tally for Minnesota, defeating Clark 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. The match was tied at two and the players were feeding off the energy from a packed Baseline Tennis Center.
Corwin was the third player to secure a point for Minnesota, as he defeated Gomes 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(2) after rallying to send the third set to a tiebreaker in the No. 2 singles slot. Illinois would avoid giving up four straight points as the Illini earned a victory at No. 3 singles. Milicevic saw his rally fall short to Kovacevic as he fell 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
The deciding match came down to No. 6 singles between Alpeza and Budic. The Sophomore from Bosnia was not going to let his team down, as he prevailed in a 2-6, 7-6(3), 6-2 thriller. After a tough finish in his doubles set, Alpeza battled back and stayed positive throughout his singles match. He notes that supporting his team was the most important thing on his mind.
"I was trying to stay on the court for as long as I could." Alpeza said. "I wanted to support my teammates and it eventually worked out. I knew it was close but I knew all I needed was one break."
The Gophers rallied around each other's energy on Friday night, and will continue to do so on Sunday, when the No. 19-ranked Northwestern Wildcats come to Baseline.
You can follow all of the action this year on the Gophers' Facebook, Twitter, and Instragram.
Minnesota 4, Illinois 3
Mar. 31, 2017 at Minneapolis, Minn. (Baseline Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. #20 Aleks Vukic (ILL) def. #80 Matic Spec (MINN) 6-4, 6-2
2. Felix Corwin (MINN) def. Gui Gomes (ILL) 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(2)
3. Aleks Kovacevic (ILL) def. Stefan Milicevic (MINN) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
4. Eli Ogilvy (MINN) def. Zeke Clark (ILL) 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
5. Josip Krstanovic (MINN) def. Julian Childers (ILL) 2-6, 7-6(3), 6-1
6. Marino Alpeza (MINN) def. Vuk Budic (ILL) 2-6, 7-6(3), 6-2
Doubles competition
1. #69 Matic Spec/Felix Corwin (MINN) def. Aleks Kovacevic/Alex Jesse (ILL) 7-5
2. Aleks Vukic/Vuk Budic (ILL) def. Eli Ogilvy/Justyn Levin (MINN) 6-4
3. Gui Gomes/Zeke Clark (ILL) def. Marino Alpeza/Josip Krstanovic (MINN) 7-6(2)
Order of Finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (1,5,4,2,3,6)
Players Mentioned
