Michigan men's tennis sophomore Evan King will take on Ohio State’s Blaz Rola on Monday in a rivalry that goes beyond the matchup between the Wolverines and Buckeyes. Just two weeks ago, Rola came back from match point to beat King.

King has put together a string of strong performances in the USTA/ITA Midwest Regional Championships in South Bend, Indiana. On Sunday, he defeated Ohio States Balazs Novak to advance to the semifinals, where he'll compete Rola for a spot in the finals. He won all four of his singles matches and will play Rola for a spot in the finals.

King began his play on Friday, defeating Cleveland State’s Yannick Goossens, 6-0, 6-1. He then beat DePaul’s Ben Hartman, 6-1, 6-2, and Notre Dame’s No. 69 Daniel Stahl, 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3, on Saturday.

“I played well, fought pretty hard,” King said. “The Notre Dame match was a little bit of a scare. I didn’t play my best tennis in the first set. In the second-set tiebreaker, both of us were pretty tired. It went back and forth and I was really pumped up when I pulled that out. That gave me all the momentum.”

On Sunday, he continued his success, coming away with a quarterfinal victory over No. 104 Novak, 6-2, 6-2.

Aside from King, the Wolverines left South Bend disappointed. The No. 12 duo of King and senior Jason Jung – Michigan’s top doubles team and one of the favorites to win their draw – were upset by Notre Dame’s Spencer Talmadge and Niall Fitzgerald in the third round.

“I thought Evan and Jason, had they played their best, were capable of winning the tournament,” Michigan coach Bruce Berque said. “But I knew that they would have to play awfully well because the competition was strong.”

No. 25 Jung disappointed in singles play, despite being a contender to win the draw. The Wolverines’ captain first beat Ohio State’s Peter Kobelt, 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4, on Friday. He then advanced to the third round Saturday morning, before being knocked off by Ohio State’s No. 91 Devin McCarthy, 6-4, 6-2.

“In the match he lost, he got off to a lead in the first set and got a little sloppy,” Berque said. “I don’t think (McCarthy) played very well, but I don’t think Jason’s been at the top of his game. But he’s experienced, he’s a senior, and we know he’ll pick it up.”

No other Wolverine advanced past the second in either the doubles or singles draw. But the freshmen were a bright spot, playing in the biggest matches of their college careers.

Barrett Franks made a name for himself this weekend, as he began his singles play on Friday by upsetting Notre Dame’s No. 112 Blas Moros, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, before falling in the second round.

“Barrett’s been working really hard,” Berque said. “As a freshman, you don’t really know what to expect and it’s not uncommon to put a little bit of pressure on themselves. He got off to a slow start against (Moros), but once he felt his way through the match, he played very, very well.”

Franks, along with freshman Justin Rossi, teamed up for an impressive weekend in the doubles draw. After a convincing 8-1 win over Northern Illinois, the young Michigan tandem nearly upset Illinois’s No. 21 duo. Rossi, lost in his opening round singles match to Wisconsin’s No. 19 Marek Michalicka.

“Even though (Rossi and Franks) lost in a tiebreaker, they played it really well,” Berque said. “That Illinois team is very good and much more experienced, and that was pretty impressive the level our guys played at.”

Freshman Shaun Bernstein won his first-round match before losing to Notre Dame’s Stephen Havens. Sophomore Chris Cha lost his match to Illinois State’s Timon Reichelt. The two did team up in doubles before falling to Notre Dame.

Freshman Alex Buzzi also played well, winning his three qualifying matches, including a victory over Michigan State’s John Stratton, before being knocked off by Ohio State’s No. 101 Suhei Uzawa.

King is the lone Michigan player standing in the regional championship. Rola, a freshman, beat King on Oct. 5 in a match King felt he should have won. After winning the first set, King had three match points, but couldn’t put away the Buckeye, who won the next set convincingly. King is eager to amend this loss, with a chance to advance to the tournament’s final, which is also Monday.

“There’s nothing better than beating Ohio State,” King said. “They’re the most hated school in the Big Ten, especially at Michigan.