Nov. 3, 2008
MADISON, WI – University of Iowa men’s tennis senior Christian Bierich was crowned champion Monday of the Big Ten Singles Tournament. It marks the second-straight year a Hawkeye advanced to the finals and it is the first time a Hawkeye has captured the title since Tyler Cleveland won the annual event in 2000.
“It is a great achievement to win six matches against the best players in the Big Ten,” said Head Coach Steve Houghton. “Christian deserves this in terms of all the hard work he has put in. It is a great achievement and a great way to cap off the fall season.”
“It has been unreal,” said Bierich. “It was a dream of mine when I came here to win this tournament. To put in the hard work and accomplish this my senior is awesome.”
Bierich, seeded fourth overall, won two matches, again, Monday. In the semifinals, he defeated sixth-seeded Slavko Bijelica of Purdue 6-0, 7-5 to advance to the finals.
In the finals, Bierich defeated fifth-seeded Sebastian Gallego of Minnesota 6-3, 6-4, to capture the title. Bierich lost only one set throughout his six victories in the tournament.
The championship match will be shown on the Big Ten Network as a tape delay on Sunday, Nov. 9 at 4 p.m. (CT).
Singles: SemifinalsChristian Bierich (Iowa) def. Slavko Bijelica (Purdue) 6-0, 7-5
Singles: FinalsChristian Bierich (Iowa) def. Sebastian Gallego (Minnesota) 6-3, 6-4="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>