Ohio State
Northwestern
Buckeyes Sweep No. 25 Northwestern 4-0
2/19/2021 9:54:58 PM | Men's Tennis
EVANSTON, Ill. – A big weekend in Illinois started in a great way for No. 9 Ohio State as the Buckeyes swept No. 25 Northwestern 4-0 inside the Combe Tennis Center Friday night.
The Buckeyes improve to 4-1 on the season and will head to No. 6 Illinois for a Sunday showdown.
The doubles point was close. Cannon Kinglsey and Kyle Seelig won 6-3 on court three but the No. 4 team of John McNally and Robert Cash lost 6-4 on court one. That left the point up to James Trotter and Justin Boulais and the Buckeye duo came through, winning the final two games to take their match 6-4.
Any momentum Northwestern may have generated from a competitive doubles point was quickly erased as the Buckeyes won all six first sets in singles and it then turned into a race to see who could finish first.
Kinglsey won the race, finishing-off No. 58 Dominik Stary 6-1, 6-4 on court one and JJ Tracy followed quickly with a dominant 6-0, 6-1 win over Simen Bratholm on court five.
Senior John McNally provided the clinching point with his 6-2, 6-3 victory on court two against Nick Brookes.
The match Sunday at Illinois is set for a 1 p.m. ET start. Either Ohio State or Illinois has won the Big Ten regular season crown every year since 1997. Sunday will be the lone meeting during the regular season, adding the importance of the match.
#9 Ohio State 4, #25 Northwestern 0
Singles
1. #5 Cannon Kingsley (OSU) def. #58 Dominik Stary (NUM) 6-1, 6-4
2. #11 John McNally (OSU) def. Nick Brookes (NUM) 6-2, 6-3
3. Chris Ephron (NUM) vs. #80 James Trotter (OSU) 3-6, 2-2, unfinished
4. Trice Pickens (NUM) vs. #25 Kyle Seelig (OSU) 2-6, 2-3, unfinished
5. JJ Tracy (OSU) def. Simen Bratholm (NUM) 6-0, 6-1
6. Gleb Blekher (NUM) vs. Robert Cash (OSU) 4-6, 2-1, unfinished
Doubles
1. #57 Simen Bratholm/Nick Brookes (NUM) def. #4 Robert Cash/John McNally (OSU) 6-4
2. #37 James Trotter/Justin Boulais (OSU) def. Dominik Stary/Chris Ephron (NUM) 6-3
3. #51 Cannon Kingsley/Kyle Seelig (OSU) def. Gleb Blekher/Natan Spear (NUM) 6-3
Match Notes:
Ohio State 4-1; National ranking #9
Northwestern 1-2; National ranking #25
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (1,5,2)
#GoBuckeyes
