Oct. 28, 2011
IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa men’s tennis team began play at the Big Ten Indoor Singles/Doubles Championship and sophomore Jonas Dierckx and freshman Matt Hagan earned a flight title in front of the home crowd.
Dierckx and Hagan went 4-0 on the day en route to a Big Ten Indoor Flight B doubles championship Friday at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Center as Iowa hosts the fall Big Ten tournament for the first time in program history.
“I’m very proud of Jonas and Matt, particularly given the fact that they are young guys and have only been playing together for about a week,” said head coach Steve Houghton. “Four consecutive wins in Big Ten matches is a big credit to their play.”
Dierckx and Hagan, who were paired together for the first time this fall season, defeated Wisconsin’s Alex Robles and Alexander Teppert 9-8 in the finals match to earn the title.
The duo opened with an 8-5 win over Michigan State’s Mat Nelson and Ryan Richmond. In the second round, Dierckx and Hagan bested Northwestern’s Eric Spector and Nikhil Jayashankar 8-3. Dierckx and Hagan defeated Michigan State’s Denis Bogatov and Harry Jadun 8-6 in the semifinals.
“Overall, we split our matches, which was good considering most our guys were facing opponents higher in the lineup than them,” said Houghton. “It was a great opportunity to give a lot of our doubles team a chance to play in a big tournament.”
Iowa’s No. 41 Marc Bruche and Will Vasos opened with an 8-5 victory against Wisconsin’s Alexander Kostanov and Billy Bertha, but got upended in the second round. After opening a 5-1 lead on Michigan’s Barrett Franks and Alex Buzzi, Bruche and Vasos fell 9-8. Franks and Buzzi went on to claim the Big Ten Indoor Flight A doubles title. Bruche and Vasos did not participate in consolation play.
Hawkeye junior Garret Dunn and sophomore Michael Swank reached the Flight B back draw finals match and finished the tournament with two wins. The tandem defeated Penn State’s Tomas Hanzlik and Chris Young 8-5 and also bested Iowa’s own Tom Mroziewicz and Mitch Beckert in the back draw semifinals.
Iowa’s doubles teams of sophomores Chase Tomlins and Joey White, and junior Connor Gilmore and freshman Andres Estenssoro each had a doubles victory in Flight B. The Hawkeyes finished with nine doubles wins.
Singles play will begin on Saturday at the HTRC with action beginning at 8:00 a.m. The Hawkeyes will have 13 players in singles action.
Big Ten Indoor Singles/Doubles Championship
Flight A Doubles Main Draw
Marc Bruche/Will Vasos (IOWA) def. Alexander Kostanov/Billy Bertha (UW) 8-5
Barrett Franks/Alex Buzzi (Mich) def. Bruche/Vasos (IOWA) 9-8
Flight B Doubles Main Draw
Jonas Dierckx/Matt Hagan (IOWA) def. Doug Zade/Ryan Richmond (MSU) 8-5
Dierckx/Hagan (IOWA) def. Eric Spector/Nikhil Jayashankar (NW) 8-3
Dierckx/Hagan (IOWA) def. Bogatov/Richmond (MSU) 8-6
Dierckx/Hagan (IOWA) def. Alex Robles/Alexander Teppert (UW) 9-8
Chase Tomlins/Joey White (IOWA) def. Tomas Hanzlik/Chris Young (PSU) 8-3
Reitz/Zanotti (NW) def. Tomlins/White (IOWA) 8-4
Will Davis/Ronnie Hulewicz (MSU) def. Tomlins/White (IOWA) 9-7
Spector/Jayashankar (NW) def. Tomlins/White (IOWA) 8-5
Tobias Reitz/Alberto Zanotti (NW) def. Garret Dunn/Michael Swank (IOWA) 8-4
Alex Robles/Alexander Teppert (UW) def. Tom Mroziewicz/Mitch Beckert (IOWA) 8-6
Denis Bogatov/Harry Jadun (MSU) def. Connor Gilmore/Andres Estenssoro (IOWA) 8-3
Flight B Doubles Back Draw
Dunn/Swank (IOWA) def. Hanzlik/Young (PSU) 8-5
Dunn/Swank (IOWA) def. Mroziewicz/Beckert (IOWA) 9-7
Jack Larsen/Austin Akers (UW) def. Dunn/Swank (IOWA) 8-6
Larsen/Akers (UW) def. Gilmore/Estenssoro (IOWA)
Gilmore/Estenssoro (IOWA) def. Mroziewicz/Beckert (IOWA) 8-6