Ohio State
Michigan **
No. 1 Ohio State advances to Big Ten Tournament Final with 4-2 win over Michigan
4/27/2019 12:37:53 PM | Men's Tennis
The stage is set.
Buckle in, it’s going to be a ride. #GoBucks #B1GMTennis pic.twitter.com/cIkDkESF7B
— Ohio State M Tennis (@OhioStateMTEN) April 27, 2019
Ann Arbor, Mich. – The Ohio State Men’s tennis team defeated the Michigan Wolverines 4-2 in a hard-fought match, punching their ticket to the tournament title match.
The Buckeyes entered the match coming off a 4-0 victory over Minnesota in the quarterfinals, with a record of 27-2 overall and 12-0 in conference play. Ranked No. 1 in the country, Ohio State took on fourth-seed, No. 22 Michigan in the semifinals.
Saturday morning’s match would not begin the way the Buckeyes wanted as they dropped the doubles point and trailed 0-1 early. Michigan came out the gate hot and would put the pressure on early. The Wolverines were just too much on courts 1 and 2. Saturday’s semifinal marked just the second time this season the Buckeyes dropped the doubles point.
Singles play was as competitive as it comes to begin. Ohio State and Michigan traded sets back and forth in the early goings. No. 1 JJ Wolf trailed No. 109 Andrew Fenty early in the first set and found himself in a hole. No. 24 John McNally would also find himself down early in the first set. No. 53 Kyle Seelig, Martin Joyce, Alex Kobelt and Hunter Tubert would keep the match’s intensity intact as each point began to feel as crucial as it gets. It was going to take a complete team effort for the Buckeyes to beat Michigan
Senior Hunter Tubert was the first to finish, defeating Tishman in dominant fashion, 6-4, 6-0. Martin Joyce began his singles match against No. 67 Mathias Siimar in dominant fashion, winning the first set 6-3, providing a big boost for the Buckeyes. Joyce would go on to take down Siimar in the second set 6-4 to give the Buckeyes a 2-1 lead. Kyle Seelig would extend the lead to 3-1 with a victory of his own. It was following Seelig’s victory where the match’s intensity went up another level. No. 109 Andrew Fenty took down No. 1 JJ Wolf, handing Wolf his first defeat in the 2018-19 season.
It was then up to John McNally and Alex Kobelt on courts 2 and 5 to seal the deal for the Buckeyes. John McNally, having dropped his first set, rallied in the second to win 6-1, and would go on to defeat Schalet of Michigan in the third set 6-3, clinching the match victory for Ohio State.
It was an absolute thriller in Ann Arbor on Saturday morning between the rivals. Ohio State has now defeated Michigan twice this season, both at their place. The Buckeyes advance to 28-2 overall, 13-0 in conference play. Ohio State advances to the Big Ten Tournament final, looking to be crowned tournament champion for the 11th time in the past 13 seasons. Ohio State will face the winner of Illinois/Penn State on Sunday at 11 am EST. The match will be live on BTN Plus.
No. 1 Ohio State 4, No. 4 Michigan 2
Singles Play
No. 1 – #109 Andrew Fenty (UM) def. #1 JJ Wolf (OSU) 6-3, 7-5
No. 2 – #22 John McNally (OSU) def. Myles Schalet (UM) 3-6, 6-1, 6-3
No. 3 – Martin Joyce (OSU) def. #67 Mattias Siimar (UM) 6-3, 6-4
No. 4 – #53 Kyle Seelig (OSU) def. Connor Johnston (UM) 6-1, 7-5
No. 5 – Alex Kobelt (OSU) vs. Patrick Maloney (UM) 4-6, 6-4, 2-2 unfinished
No. 6 – Hunter Tubert (OSU) def. Gabe Tishman (UM) 6-4, 6-0
Doubles Play
No. 1 – Connor Johnston/Mattias Siimar (UM) def. #30 Martin Joyce/JJ Wolf (OSU) 6-3
No. 2 – Andrew Fenty/Myles Schalet (UM) def. #41 Alex Kobelt/Kyle Seelig (OSU) 6-0
No. 3 – John McNally/Hunter Tubert (OSU) vs. Harrison Brown/Gabe Tishman (UM) 4-3 unfinished
Order of Completion: Doubles: 2-1 Singles: 6-3-4-1-2
Records: Ohio State: 28-2 Michigan: 17-8
