Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Illinois-Chicago
NU Improves to 5-0 with Win over Illinois-Chicago
1/25/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Jan. 25, 2009
Results
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern's men's tennis team is off to its best start since the 2000-01 season, improving to 5-0 with a victory over the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) Flames at Combe Tennis Center Sunday. The 'Cats won all nine doubles and singles matches en route to their fifth consecutive 7-0 victory.
The Wildcats have not dropped any singles matches this season; Alexander Thams (Stockholm, Sweden/Enskilda Gymnasiet) and Alex Sanborn (Houston, Texas/Kinkaid) lead the team with 5-0 records. Sanborn is also 5-0 in doubles with partner Joshua Graves (Milwaukee, Wis./Nicolet), playing primarily in the No. 2 spot.
Sunday's dual against UIC was the 'Cats third in two days as they played a doubleheader on Saturday against IUPUI and Western Illinois. Northwestern captured all three doubles matches to start the match.
The duo of Marc Dwyer (Peachtree City, Ga./University of Nebraska-Independent Study H.S.) and Tobias Reitz (Reinbeck, Germany/Sachsenwaldschule Reinbeck) faced the Flames' Bastian Harbo and George Hudson at No. 1. Both teams held serve easily for the first few games, but the 'Cats took control when they broke and then held to take a 5-3 lead. The 'Cats broke again thanks to a Reitz lob to go up 7-3 and then won the match, 8-4, with a Dwyer service winner.
Thams and Eric Spector (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) put the 'Cats up 1-0 in the dual with their win over Scott Shepardson and Danny Wilson at No. 3. The NU tandem won the first five games of the match and never lost momentum, finishing with an 8-2 victory off a Spector service winner.
At No. 2, Graves and Sanborn took on UIC's Sebastian Lystad and Dave Robare in the most competitive of the three matches. The Wildcats went down an early break, but then evened the match at 4-4 thanks to a Sanborn return. The match went to a tiebreak at 7-7 because the doubles point was already decided.
In the tiebreak, the teams exchanged mini-breaks several times and were tied at up until a Graves service winner put the 'Cats up 7-6. They didn't waste the opportunity as a Sanborn forehand winner down the middle won it for the Wildcats, 8-7(6).
Energy from doubles poured into the six singles matches as the 'Cats took convincing leads from the get-go in every match.
Graves and Thams were off to the races at No. 6 and No. 3, respectively, getting off the courts within minutes of each other. Graves posted a 6-0, 6-2 victory over the Flames' Robare, who didn't manage to hold serve until the second set. The NU freshman sealed the victory with a backhand volley winner.
Thams finished his match at No. 3 almost immediately after Graves, beating UIC's Danny Wilson, 6-1, 6-1. Thams improves to 5-0 on the season and has allowed more than two games to his opponent in a set only twice in 10 sets.
Next off the courts was freshman Eric Spector, whose 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 5 over Nate Kirk gave the 'Cats an insurmountable 4-0 lead for the dual.
Senior leader Dwyer posted a strong 6-2, 6-0 victory at No. 1 over the Flames' Bastian Harbo. The Wildcat reeled off the first four games of the match and did not relent in the second set as he broke Harbo three times to capture the set at love.
Reitz posted a solid victory at No. 2 over Sebastian Lystad, 6-3, 6-4, showing why NU's freshmen were so highly touted. Reitz rolled through the first set, but the match got a bit heated in the second until Reitz broke at 4-4 to serve out the match. The freshman ended the match emphatically with two aces in the last game, including a booming ace down the T on match point.
The last match on the courts was captain Alex Sanborn's match against UIC's Liccardo at No. 4. Sanborn cruised to the first set, 6-3, but then went down two early breaks in the second. The Wildcat lost the second, 3-6, and the match went to a match tiebreak because the dual was already decided.
In the tiebreak, it was all Sanborn as he jumped out to a 6-2 lead and never relinquished it. A mix of volley and forehand winners led to a 10-5 victory, giving Sanborn six victories in singles and doubles for the weekend.
The Wildcats take a short break in their early season schedule and return to action Feb. 7 at Middle Tennessee State. The 'Cats return home to Combe Tennis Center on Feb. 15 as they host Ball State and Lewis in a doubleheader.
