Wildcats Downed By Denver, 4-3

3/4/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis

March 4, 2012

Results

Site: Evanston, Ill. (Combe Tennis Center)
Score: Denver 4, No. 49 Northwestern 3
Records: NU (7-5, 0-0 Big Ten), Denver (6-7, 0-0 Sun Belt)
Next NU Event: Friday, March 9 -- vs. No. 18 Illinois (Evanston, Ill.), 6 p.m.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern closed out the nonconference portion of its schedule Sunday afternoon with a tilt against the visiting Denver Pioneers. In the end, the Pioneers outlasted the Wildcats, 4-3, in a grueling match that took five hours to decide.

The doubles point came down to the match at No.2 between NU's Sidarth Balaji and Chris Jackman and Denver's Max Krammer and Fabio Biasion. After breaking the Pioneers early, the 'Cats went up 2-0, but then DU returned the favor to make it 2-1. The Pioneers eventually built a 5-3 cushion, but the Wildcats won four straight games to go up 7-5.

Krammer and Biasion held serve to pull within one at 7-6 and then broke Jackman's serve to tie the score at seven games apiece. Each team held serve to bring the score to 8-8 and force a tiebreaker. The tandems traded punches like heavyweight fighters. Denver rushed out to leads of 2-0 and 4-2, but each time Balaji and Jackman countered. In the end, however, the Pioneers outlasted Northwestern, 16-14 to win the match and secure the coveted doubles point.

Denver won the match at No. 1 when Jens Vorkefeld and Enej Bonin teamed up to defeat Alex Pasareanu and Raleigh Smith, 8-5. Northwestern had little trouble earning a win of their own at No. 3 as Spencer Wolf and Eric Spector disposed of the Pioneers, 8-3.The 'Cats won three straight games to secure that victory.

The squads appeared to be evenly matched as singles play began. Balaji and Jackman each breezed to quick first-set wins in their individual matches by matching scores of 6-1. Smith, playing at No. 2, conceded his opening frame, 6-4, to Yannick Weihs. Nikhil Jayashankar, playing in the sixth spot, fell 6-4, as well, in his opening set versus Othar Kordsachia.

Meanwhile, Jackman continue to cruise in his singles bout as he wiped out Alex Clinkenbeard in the second frame, 6-0, to earn his second solo triumph of the season and the first point of the day for Northwestern.

Pasareanu dropped his first set, while Balaji surrendered the second in his match against Jens Vorkefeld, 6-3, forcing a decisive third stanza. Jayashankar also elevated his game in the second set to win 6-2 and force a third set on the sixth line against Kordsachia. In the match at No. 1, Wolf and Bonin engaged in a lengthy first set. Wolf trailed at one point, 5-2, but rallied ferociously to come to tie the set at five games apiece. Eventually, Bonin won the first set, 7-6.

Weihs notched the first singles victory of the day for the Pioneers by beating Smith in the second set, 6-2, to win in straight sets. Soon thereafter, Balaji evened the team score at two wins each when he finished off Vorkefeld in the third set, 6-3.

For Smith, it was just the third time he has lost in singles play in 12 matches this season. Balaji nabbed his third victory and first in the past three matches.

Jayashankar and Pasareanu wrapped up their matches within moments of one another. Jayashankar did so victoriously by beating Kordsachia in straight sets, while Pasareanu was on the losing end of his battle with Krammer, 7-5, 6-4. That evened the match at three wins apiece with the final outcome to be decided by Wolf and Bonin on court four.

With the second set tied at six games apiece, the foes engaged in their second tiebreaker in as many sets. Wolf went up 3-0 before Bonin grabbed his first point, however Wolf went back up 6-3 before too long. Bonin staged a lengthy rally of his own to tie the score at 6-6 at the changeover. Wolf nabbed the next two points, however, to force a winner-take-all third set.

Bonin grabbed the first three games in succession and didn't look back. He extended the lead 5-0 before Wolf held serve and snatched the sixth game. Bonin was unrelenting, however, and served out the match to earn the win for the Pioneers.

The Wildcats will continue the homestand on Friday, March 9 when they host instate rival Illinois to open Big Ten play. NU will be hosting its second high school night of the season featuring free admission, free pizza and great Northwestern tennis prizes. The first serve is set for 6 p.m. at Combe.

Doubles
1. Jens Vorkefeld/Enej Bonin (DU) def. Alex Pasareanu/Raleigh Smith (NU) - 8-5
2. Max Krammer/Fabio Biasion (DU) def. Sidarth Balaji/Chris Jackman (NU) - 9-8 (16-14)
3. Eric Spector/Spencer Wolf (NU) def. Yannick Weiss/Othar Kordsachia (DU) - 8-3
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2*

Singles
1. Enej Bonin (DU) def. Spencer Wolf (NU) - 7-6, 6-7, 6-1
2. Yannick Weiss (DU) def. Raleigh Smith (NU) - 6-4, 6-2
3. Sidarth Balaji (NU) def. Jens Vorkefeld (DU) - 6-1, 3-6, 6-3
4. Max Krammer (DU) def. Alex Pasareanu (NU) - 7-5, 6-4
5. Chris Jackman (NU) def. Alex Clinkenbeard (DU) - 6-1, 6-0
6. Nikhil Jayashankar (NU) def. Othar Kordsachia (DU) - 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
Order of finish: 5, 2, 3, 6, 4, 1*

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