PHOTO GALLERY
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 4-ranked Ohio State men’s tennis team defeated rival and No. 5-ranked Michigan at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center on Sunday afternoon. The Buckeyes improve to 7-2 against Top 25 ranked teams this season and are 12-0 at home.
The Ty Tucker Tennis Center welcomed its largest and most energetic crowd of the season with over 700 fans, and the Buckeyes did not disappoint. Senior Robert Cash and Junior JJ Tracy secured both a win in doubles and singles, leading the Buckeyes on the afternoon.
The Buckeyes secured the doubles point with wins on courts one and three in just over 40 minutes. But three of the six singles matches went into the third set, and the Buckeyes had to battle for the win. Cash, Tracy, and redshirt-freshman Jack Anthrop prevailed in the singles matches to earn a hard-fought victory over their rivals from the north.
Ohio State is now 17-2 overall on the season and will begin Big Ten play next weekend. This match, along with the earlier match against Illinois on Jan. 22, was a non-conference matchup.
Doubles
- Cash and Justin Boulais were playing in the No. 1 spot for the first time since the opening match of the season against Northern Kentucky. They raced out to a 3-0 lead and wouldn’t let the No. 9 ranked team of Gavin Young and Andrew Fenty get any momentum. Leading 5-3, the Buckeyes won a big deuce point to take the match 6-3. It was their 14th win of the season and their first win over a Top 10 ranked team.
- The match on court three between Buckeyes Cannon Kingsley and JJ Tracy and Michigan’s Nino Ehrenschneider and Jacob Bickerstetch was on serve through the first eight games before Kingsley and Tracy grabbed the first break. The Buckeyes then served-out the match, finishing it with a big ace from Kingsley.
- On court two, Lutschaunig and James Trotter won a huge deuce point to get the first break in the match at 2-1. They held that advantage through 5-3 and were on match point when the point was secure on court three.
Singles
- The Buckeyes dropped the first set on the first four courts, but No. 116 Cash and Anthrop worked their way to first-set victories at singles five and six, respectively. Cash defeated Michigan’s Bickersteth 6-2 in the first set a followed with a 6-3 win in the second to secure his 14th singles win of the year. Anthrop finished next on court six with a smooth 6-3 win in the first set followed by a 6-4 win in the second to defeat Ehrenschneider.
- No. 39 Cannon Kingsley dropped the first set against No. 10 Ondrej Styler, 6-3, on court one but battled the Wolverine to tiebreak in the second set. Kingsley came up just short in the tiebreaker, falling 7-6(4).
- On court two, Boulais dropped the first set to No. 9 Fenty 6-2. Boulais and Fenty also battled into a tiebreaker in set two, and the Buckeye prevailed with a 7-6(4) win to extend the match to the third set. The match ended with Fenty taking the third set 6-2.
- Redshirt-senior and No. 26-ranked Trotter, stretched his match to the third set for the Buckeyes against No. 17 Patrick Maloney. Trotter gave up the first set 6-4 but utilized his serve to storm his way through the second set, winning it 6-3. The match went unfinished after reaching a tiebreak in the third set.
- No. 20 ranked JJ Tracy secured the victory for the Buckeyes in a thrilling third set win over Young. Tracy fell in the first set 6-2 but came back to win the second and third sets 6-3, 6-4.
Up Next
- Ohio State will be on the road again for a Big Ten matchup against the No. 23 Wildcats of Northwestern in Evanston, Ill., on Friday, March 24. The first serve is set for 7:00 p.m. ET
#4 Ohio State 4, #5 Michigan 2
Singles
1. #10 Ondrej Styler (U-M) def. #39 Cannon Kingsley (OSU) vs. 6-3, 7-6(4)
2. #9 Andrew Fenty (U-M) def. #58 Justin Boulais (OSU) 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-2
3. #26 James Trotter (OSU) vs. #17 Patrick Maloney (U-M) 4-6, 6-3, 6-6, unfinished
4. #20 JJ Tracy (OSU) def. #35 Gavin Young (U-M) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
5. #116 Robert Cash (OSU) def. Jacob Bickersteth (U-M) 6-2, 6-3
6. Jack Anthrop (OSU) def. Nino Ehrenschneider (U-M) 6-3, 6-4
Doubles
1. Robert Cash/Justin Boulais (OSU) def. #9 Andrew Fenty/Gavin Young (U-M) 6-3
2. #7 Andrew Lutschaunig/James Trotter (OSU) vs. Patrick Maloney/Ondrej Styler (U-M) 5-3, unfinished
3. Cannon Kingsley/JJ Tracy (OSU) def. Nino Ehrenschneider/Jacob Bickersteth (U-M) 6-4
Match Notes:
Ohio State 17-2; National ranking #4
Michigan 13-2; National ranking #5
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (5,6,1,2,4)
Official: Marcus Lee T- 3:10 A- 713
#GoBucks
