This week's top matches in the Big Ten

March 26, 2010
It's been a wild week with some great (and some surprising) results.  Here are some of the memorable matches from this week in the Big Ten:

Men: No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Georgia
They may have been lower ranked, but the Georgia Bulldogs have a collection of national titles that scares many.  The match was moved indoors because of weather problems and the Ohio State Buckeyes showed no fear as they took immediate control with the doubles point and then the first three singles in straight sets.  The Bulldogs did win the next two singles matches for the 4-2 score.

Ohio State 4 vs. Georgia 2
Justin Kronauge (OS) defeated Nate Schnugg (G), 6-3,6-2
Chase Buchanan (OS) defeated Javier Garrapiz (G), 6-3,6-1
Jamie Hunt (G) vs. Dino Marcan (OS), 4-6,6-2,5-4 Did Not Finished
Drake Bernstein (G) defeated Balazs Novak (OS), 7-6(3),6-2
Christian Vitulli (G) defeated Shuhei Uzawa (OS), 6-2,6-0
Matt Allare (OS) defeated Bo Seal (G), 6-4,6-2
Nate Schnugg/Jamie Hunt (G) defeated Shuhei Uzawa/Matt Allare (OS), 8-4
Chase Buchanan/Dino Marcan (OS) defeated Drake Bernstein/Javier Garrapiz (G), 8-4
Justin Kronauge/Balazs Novak (OS) defeated Bo Seal/Christian Vitulli (G), 9-8 (4)

Women: No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 2 Northwestern
It was payback, not only for the ITA Indoors final, but it was also the first time in three years the North Carolina Tar Heels beat the Northwestern Wildcats.  This rivalry was fittingly climaxed with a clincher match by two players who spent many years competing against each other in their New York hometowns.  The wins had been pretty evenly split among the years, but this time it was Tar Heel Shinann Featherston with the win.

North Carolina 5, Northwestern 2Maria Mosolova (N) defeated Katrina Tsang (UNC), 6-2,6-4
Sanaz Marand (UNC) defeated Samantha Murray (N), 7-5,6-1
Jelena Durisic (UNC) defeated Lauren Lui (N), 4-6,7-5,6-3
Sophie Grabinski (UNC) defeated Kate Turvy (N), 6-2,6-2
Shinann Featherston (UNC) defeated Stacey Lee (N), 6-4,6-1
Gina Suarez-Malaguti (UNC) defeated Elena Chernyakova (N), 7-5,6-1
Lauren Lui/Maria Mosolova (N) defeated Sophie Grabinski/Sanaz Marand (UNC), 9-8(6)
Katrina Tsang/Shinann Featherston (UNC) defeated Samantha Murray/Elena Chernyakova (N), 8-4
Abu Mushrefova/Stacey Lee (N) defeated Jocelyn Ffriend/Hemm (UNC), 8-5

Men-No. 11 Illinois vs. No. 15 Stanford; No. 28 Michigan vs. No. 15 StanfordThe Stanford men were on a mission through the Midwest and they succeeded.  First it was a tight one full of three-setters in Illinois, and then the Cardinals were off to Michigan. There Bradley Klahn, who had beaten former junior rival Dennis Nevolo at Illinois, upset Evan King's 18th birthday celebration before teammate Ryan Thacher finished off the match.

Stanford 4, Illinois 3
Bradley Klahn (S) defeated Dennis Nevolo (IL), 7-5,3-6,6-1
Alex Clayton (S) defeated Marek Czerwinski (IL), 7-6(4),7-6(10)
Johnny Hamui (IL) defeated Ryan Thacher (S), 6-3,3-6,6-3
Abe Souza (IL) defeated Greg Hirshman (S), 7-5,7-5
Stephen Hoh (IL) defeated Richard Wire (S), 4-6,7-5,7-6(3)
Denis Lin (S) defeated Bruno Abdelnour (IL), 2-6,6-2,6-1
Ryan Thacher/Bradley Klahn (S) defeated Marek Czerwinski/Dennis Nevolo (IL), 8-4
Richard Wire/Alex Clayton (S) defeated Stephen Hoh/Johnny Hamui (IL), 8-3
Denis Lin/Matt Kandath (S) defeated Abe Souza/Bruno Abdelnour (IL), 8-4

Stanford 5, Michigan 2
Bradley Klahn (S) defeated Evan King (MI), 6-3,6-4
Jason Jung (MI) defeated  Alex Clayton (S), 6-3,6-3
Ryan Thacher (S) defeated Mike Sroczynski (MI), 6-2,7-6(7)
Richard Wire (S) defeated George Navas (MI), 6-3,6-7(10),1-0 (10-6)
Chris Madden (MI) defeated Greg Hirshman (S), 2-6,6-0,6-3
Denis Lin (S) defeated Chris Cha (MI), 6-3,6-3
Bradley Klahn/Ryan Thacher (S) defeated George Navas/Mike Sroczynski (MI), 9-7(3)
Alex Clayton/Rihard Wire (S)  defeated Jason Jung/Evan King (MI), 8-5
 Denis Lin/Matt Kandath (S) defeated Chris Cha/Chris Madden (MI), 8-3

Shinann Featherston and Stacey Lee, pictured above, played on the same team (Eastern) when they won the 2007 Girls' 18 National Team Championship.  Photo by Marcia Frost.