March 26, 2005
Columbus, OH – The Iowa men’s tennis team fell victim to 34th-ranked Ohio State, losing 7-0 on Saturday at the Jesse Owens Tennis Center. With the loss Iowa falls to 9-5 overall and 1-2 in Big Ten conference play.
Iowa fell behind early after being swept in doubles play. In the No. 1 match, juniors Brett Taylor and Kyle Markham faced the top-ranked doubles team in the nation in Scott Green and Ross Wilson and were defeated 8-2. Iowa’s closest match of the day came at No. 2 doubles where junior Chaitu Malempati and freshman Bart van Monsjou lost an 8-6 decision to Chris Klingemann and Dennis Mertens. In the No. 3 match, freshman J.P. Ritchie and junior Aaron Schaechterle succumbed to the 26th-ranked duo of Joey Atas and Drew Eberly.
The Hawkeyes did not fare any better in singles play, losing all six matches in straight sets. In the No. 3 match, Ritchie lost a 6-0, 6-1 decision to 72nd-ranked Devin Mullins. At No. 2 singles, Markham fell to Klingemann 6-2, 6-2. The Buckeyes clinched the dual when Malempati fell to 46th-ranked Joey Atas 7-6, 6-1 at the No. 1 spot. Taylor lost to Wilson in the No. 5 match 6-2, 6-2 and sophomore Jonny Hoak fell to Eberly in the No. 6 match 6-2, 6-4.
The Hawkeyes will return to action Friday when they host 63rd-ranked Michigan State. Competition is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. at the City Park courts. In the case of inclement weather the match will be moved to the Recreation Building.
Results
IOWA 0
#34 Ohio State 7
Doubles
No.1 Green/Wilson (OSU) def. Markham/Taylor (IOWA) 8-2
No. 2 Klingemann/Mertens (OSU) def. Malempati/van Monsjou (IOWA) 8-6
No. 3 Atas/Eberly (OSU) def. Ritchie/Schaechterle (IOWA) 8-4
Singles
No. 1 Joey Atas (OSU) def. Chaitu Malempati (IOWA) 7-6, 6-1
No. 2 Chris Klingemann (OSU) def. Kyle Markham (IOWA) 6-2, 6-2
No. 3 Devin Mullins (OSU) def. J.P. Ritchie (IOWA) 6-0, 6-1
No. 4 Dennis Mertens (OSU) def. Bart van Monsjou (IOWA) 6-3, 6-4
No. 5 Ross Wilson (OSU) def. Brett Taylor (IOWA) 6-1, 6-2
No. 6 Drew Eberly (OSU) def. Jonny Hoak (IOWA) 6-2, 6-4