April 28, 2002
Third-ranked Illinois, the No. 1 seed in the 2002 Big Ten Men's Tennis Tournament, defeated third-seeded and 25th-ranked Minnesota in the championship match at Ohio State's Stickney Tennis Center this afternoon. Sophomore Michael Calkins scored the winning point for the Fighting Illini by defeating Chris Wettengel, 6-1, 6-4, at the No. 5 position.
"Certainly we're very pleased to win the Big Ten Championship," said UI Head Coach Craig Tiley. "Last year we had some unfinished business when Ohio State upset us in the title match, so our players were especially motivated this week. I was very pleased with the quality of our play this weekend."
In doubles action, Illinois' Phil Stolt and Brian Wilson started the match by defeating Manuel Lievano and Reven Stephens, 8-6, at the No. 2 position. Then, Minnesota's Alex Zharinov and Avery Ticer downed Mike Kosta and Nathan Zeder, 8-4, at the No. 3 spot. Sixth-ranked Amer Delic and Michael Calkins defeated Minnesota's 51st-ranked duo of Harsh Mankad and Thomas Haug, 9-7, to win the doubles point for the Orange and Blue.
The Illini dominated singles play, only allowing the Gophers to win just one match. Illini sophomore Brian Wilson topped Thomas Haug, 6-3, 6-3, at No. 2, while teammate Nathan Zeder defeated Avery Ticer, 6-1, 6-2, at the No. 6 spot. Minnesota's Alex Zharinov scored the only point of the match for the Gophers. Zharinov defeated Phil Stolt, 6-3, 6-0, at No. 3.
"Phil had a disappointing match, but overall the guys played very well today," said Tiley. "They took their games up a notch in what turned out to be by far the windiest conditions we have faced this year. We have worked on technique and fundamentals all year, and we were able to take better advantage of the conditions today."
The victory is Illinois 11th in a row, and boosts its final Big Ten record to 13-0 for the fourth time in the last five seasons; the overall UI regular-season mark is 23-4. The Fighting Illini have now won 67 of their last 68 matches against Big Ten opponents dating back to 1997. Minnesota bows out with a 16-7 overall mark and a 9-4 audit vs. conference competition.
Illinois receives the Big Ten's automatic berth for the 2002 NCAA Championship Tournament. This will be the fifth consecutive berth in the NCAA Tournament for the Fighting Illini, who will have a strong likelihood of hosting first and second round matches for the fourth year in a row. Those regional matches will take place the weekend of May 11-12 at selected campus locations across the country. The NCAA Championships (Round of 16 through the title match as well as the individual singles and doubles tournaments) will be contested May 18-27 at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.
Today's Illinois Results:
Singles
1. No. 13 Amer Delic (ILL) vs. No. 3 Harsh Mankad (MINN) suspended
2. No. 39 Brian Wilson (ILL) def. No. 98 Thomas Haug (MINN) 6-3, 6-3
3. No. 87 Alex Zharinov (MINN) def. No. 63 Phil Stolt (ILL) 6-3, 6-0
4. Mike Kosta (ILL) vs. Manuel Lievano (MINN) suspended
5. No. 100 Michael Calkins (ILL) def. Chris Wettengel (MINN) 6-1, 6-4
6. Nathan Zeder (ILL) def. Avery Ticer (MINN) 6-1, 6-2
Doubles
1. No. 6 Amer Delic/Michael Calkins (ILL) def. No. 51 Harsh Mankad/Thomas Haug (MINN) 9-7
2. Phil Stolt/Brian Wilson (ILL) def. Manuel Lievano/Reven Stephens (MINN) 8-6
3. Alex Zharinov/Avery Ticer (MINN) def. Mike Kosta/Nathan Zeder (ILL) 8-4
