Ohio State
Michigan
OSU Sweeps Michigan Again, Moves into B1G Final – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/30/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 30, 2016
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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – No. 4-ranked Ohio State stayed hot in cool conditions on Saturday afternoon as it downed rival Michigan 4-0 in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament.
The win was the 13th-straight for the Buckeyes and sends them to the finals of the Big Ten Tournament against No. 17 Illinois. The Buckeyes also claimed their 12th 4-0 sweep in the last 13 matches.
“The Big Ten is tough,” said Director of Tennis Ty Tucker. “It was a very tricky day today, and credit to Michigan for giving us a great war, but that’s with 52 degrees and 20 miles an hour wind. It’s not going to be tennis, it’s going to be heart and guts, and some discipline. In some spots we were very good and some spots we need to work on for tomorrow.”
As has been the case in the current 13-match win streak, the Buckeyes jumped out early by winning the doubles point. Ralf Steinbach and Herkko Pollanen took down Jathan Malik and Kevin Wong 6-3 and Mikael Torpegaard and Martin Joyce rolled past No. 81 Alex Knight and Runhao Hua 6-2.
Torpegaard then knocked-off No. 123 Alex Knight 6-2, 6-2 for his team-leading 28th victory this season. He has still yet to drop a singles match in 2016. Joyce also fits into the category of the unbeaten as took the first set from Davis Crocker 6-4 and then finished him off with a 6-0 win in the second.
Leading 3-0, Hugo Di Feo clinched the match for the Buckeyes as he defeated Carter Lin 6-1, 7-5 for his 19th win of the season.
The Buckeyes will be looking for their 11th Big Ten Tournament title overall and the ninth in the last 11 years. OSU and Illinois are meeting in the Big Ten Tournament final for the ninth time in the last 11 seasons. Last Sunday, the Buckeyes defeated Illinois 4-0 on Senior Day at the OSU Tennis Courts.
#4 Ohio State 4, #24 Michigan 0
Singles competition
1. #1 Mikael Torpegaard (OSU) def. #123 Alex Knight (UM) 6-2, 6-2
2. #96 Chris Diaz (OSU) vs. #95 Jathan Malik (UM) 3-6, 7-5, unfinished
3. #41 Hugo Di Feo (OSU) def. Carter Lin (UM) 6-1, 7-5
4. Ralf Steinbach (OSU) vs. Runhao Hua (UM) 3-6, 6-5, unfinished
5. #103 Herkko Pollanen (OSU) vs. Kevin Wong (UM) 3-6, 6-2, 2-1, unfinished
6. Martin Joyce (OSU) def. Davis Crocker (UM) 6-4, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. Mikael Torpegaard/Martin Joyce (OSU) def. #81 Alex Knight/Runhao Hua (UM) 6-2
2. Ralf Steinbach/Herkko Pollanen (OSU) def. Jathan Malik/Kevin Wong (UM) 6-3
3. Hugo Di Feo/Matt Mendez (OSU) vs. Myles Schalet/Tyler Gardiner (UM) 3-5, unfinished
Match Notes:
Michigan 20-7; National ranking #24
Ohio State 29-2; National ranking #4
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (1,6,3)
Big Ten Tournament Semifinal
