MINNEAPOLIS – In the first of their two matches in the City of Lakes, the No. 47 Washington men's tennis team grabbed a 4-2 win over No. 32 Minnesota today at the Baseline Tennis Center.
"Nothing is easy on the road," said head coach Matt Anger. "This match was no exception."
Doubles began with a quick Minnesota win on court two 6-1, while the remaining two matches were close. On court one, Enzo Sommer and Wendell Watanabe dropped a tough contest with 32nd ranked Matic Spec and Felix Corwin 6-4. Court three's match went unfinished with Amit Batta and Gal Hakak holding a 5-4 lead before it was called off.
One of the team's two seniors, Hakak, wasted no time in singles, tying the match back at 1-1 with a 6-2, 6-2 win on court four. On court five, Batta continued his tear as a freshman, picking up a 7-5, 6-1 win to move to 8-0 in dual matches. With the match at 2-1, the remaining courts all went into third sets.
After dropping a 6-1 second set to 68th ranked Spec, Mitch Stewart pulled out a big 6-4 win in the third set to put the Huskies a point away from victory. Pushing his match to a third set with a 6-3 win in the second, Sebastian Hawken eventually dropped a tough match to Marino Alpeza on court six 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 to put the score at 3-2.
Playing on court one for the sixth time this season, Sommer took the first set 7-5 before dropping his second 6-4. The sophomore bounced back in the third however, winning his fourth straight match at the top singles court with a 6-3 third set to give the Huskies a 4-2 win. Jake Douglas' match on court three against No. 117 Stefan Milicevic was suspended, with the junior from Rolling Hills, Calif. holding a third set lead 5-4.
"After the doubles we really were solid," said Anger. "Minnesota was battling too and neither team gave in. Enzo finished it, but this was a team win."
The Dawgs have a quick turnaround tomorrow, facing Drake at 1 p.m. at the Baseline Tennis Center in Minneapolis. Live streaming will be available for the match, however there will not be live scoring.
RESULTS
No. 47 Washington – 4
No. 32 Minnesota – 2
Doubles
1 – No. 32 Spec/Corwin (MINN) def. Sommer/Watanabe (UW) 6-4
2 – Alpeza/Levin (MINN) def. Douglas/Foley (UW) 6-1
3 – Batta/Hakak (UW) vs. Milicevic/Ogilvy (MINN) 5-4 (DNF)
Order of finish: 2, 1
Singles
1 – Enzo Sommer (UW) def. Felix Corwin (MINN) 7-5, 4-6, 6-3
2 – Mitch Stewart (UW) def. No. 68 Matic Spec (MINN) 6-3, 1-6, 6-4
3 – Jake Douglas (UW) vs. No. 117 Stefan Milicevic (MINN) 6-4, 2-6, 5-4 (DNF)
4 – Gal Hakak (UW) def. Eli Ogilvy (MINN) 6-2, 6-2
5 – Amit Batta (UW) def. Josip Krstanovic (MINN) 7-5, 6-1
6 – Marino Alpeza (MINN) def. Sebastian Hawken (UW) 6-1, 3-6, 7-5
Order of finish: 4, 5, 2, 6, 1