April 4, 2009
EVANSTON, Ill. -– A come-from-behind three-set win by captain Alex Sanborn (Houston, Texas/Kinkaid) propelled No. 58 Northwestern (15-6, 3-3) to a 4-3 victory over No. 24 Wisconsin (13-6, 2-3) Saturday evening at Combe Tennis Center. The Wildcats improve to 3-3 in conference play with the win after splitting the six singles matches and winning the crucial doubles point.
With the match tied at 3-all, the dual hung in the balance on Court 1 where Sanborn took on the Badgers' Peter Marrack at No. 5 singles. The Badger sophomore won a tight first set, 7-5, before the Wildcat captain reeled off eight games in a row to sweep the second set, 6-0, and take a 2-0 lead in the third.
Marrack held for the first time in five games to get on the board at 2-1, but Sanborn stayed in the lead, hitting a service winner to make it 3-1. A Marrack double-fault led to another break and the Wildcat built on his lead by holding to make it 5-1. With the rest of the matches decided, the Badger held once more and managed to break Sanborn's serve off of a series of rallies, 5-3.
Marrack then held serve, making Sanborn serve for the match yet again at 5-4. The Wildcat captain did not hesitate and won it for the 'Cats, 6-4 in the third to clinch their third Big Ten victory.
NU jumped out to an early lead behind strong doubles play at every position. The tandem of Andrew McCarthy (Cincinnati, Ohio/Indian Hills) and Alexander Thams (Stockholm, Sweden/Enskilda Gymnasiet) improved to 13-3 with their win at No. 3.
Their match against Peter Marrack and Patrick Pohlmann was on serve until a Thams inside-out forehand set up a break point; Pohlmann dropped the game with a double fault to give the 'Cats the 6-4 lead. McCarthy served the match out at love to give the 'Cats the 8-5 decision.
NU clinched the doubles point behind a win at No. 2 by Tobias Reitz (Reinbeck, Germany/Sachsenwaldschule Reinbeck) and Joshua Graves (Milwaukee, Wis./Nicolet) over Michael Muskievicz and Luke Rassow-Kantor. The Wildcat tandem broke on a Reitz return winner to take a 6-5 lead and Reitz served it out for the 8-6 victory.
Sanborn and Marc Dwyer (Peachtree City, Ga./University of Nebraska – Independent Study H.S.) faced off against the 15th-ranked tandem of Moritz Baumann and Marek Michalicka at No. 1. The 'Cats gave the Badgers all they could handle, jumping up an early break, but the UW duo lived up to their ranking and toughed out an 8-6 win.
Wisconsin tied it up at 1-all when No. 31 Moritz Baumann won his 19th consecutive match with a 6-3, 6-1 defeat of Marc Dwyer at No. 1. The Wildcat senior kept it close in the first set, but Baumann proved too tough, breaking in the seventh game and keeping the momentum for the rest of the match.
Northwestern regained the lead with a Graves victory at No. 4 over Luke Rassow-Kantor. The freshman leftie clinched the first set, 6-3, with a service winner and broke halfway through the second set. The Wisconsin junior put up strong resistance as Graves served for the match and the Wildcat saved three break points en route to taking the match, 6-4, on his fourth match point opportunity.
Freshman Eric Spector (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) showed the strength of his return game in a 6-4, 6-4 win over the Badgers' Muskievicz at No. 6. The Wildcat served first in both sets, each time taking a 5-4 lead and forcing Muskievicz to serve to even it up. Spector won the first set by breaking on a forehand passing shot and did the same in the second, breaking at the most crucial moment to win the match.
No. 3 singles saw a match between two native Germans in NU's Tobias Reitz and UW's Patrick Pohlmann. Pohlmann broke early in the first set and held on for a 6-3 decision in that frame. In the second, the Badger jumped in the lead again but Reitz broke back to even it at 4-all before Pohlmann got a break and served out the match.
Wisconsin tied it up at 3-all when No. 47 Marek Michalicka defeated Alexander Thams at No. 2 with a 7-6(5), 6-4 decision that was closer than the score indicates. Thams was up an early break in the first, but dropped the set in a tight tiebreak. The two players exchanged breaks to start off the second before Michalicka got the break he needed in the seventh game and held on for the win.
The 'Cats return to action next weekend as they host Minnesota and Iowa on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Sunday will be Senior Day, honoring Dwyer, Thams and Philip Kafka (Dallas, Texas/Greenhill).
No. 58 Northwestern 4, No. 24 Wisconsin 3
Doubles:
1. #15 Marek Michalicka/Moritz Baumann (WIS) def. Marc Dwyer/Alex Sanborn (NU) 8-6
2. Tobias Reitz/Joshua Graves (NU) def. Michael Muskievicz/Luke Rassow-Kantor (WIS) 8-6
3. Andrew McCarthy/Alexander Thams (NU) def. Peter Marrack/Patrick Pohlmann (WIS) 8-5
Singles:
1. #31 Moritz Baumann (WIS) def. #101 Marc Dwyer (NU) 6-3, 6-1
2. #47 Marek Michalicka (WIS) def. Alexander Thams (NU) 7-6 (7-5), 6-4
3. Patrick Pohlmann (WIS) def. Tobias Reitz (NU) 6-3, 7-5
4. Joshua Graves (NU) def. Luke Rassow-Kantor (WIS) 6-3, 6-4
5. Alex Sanborn (NU) def. Peter Marrack (WIS) 5-7, 6-0, 6-4
6. Eric Spector (NU) def. Michael Muskievicz (WIS) 6-4, 6-4