Evan King loses in NCAA Tournament, concludes career at Michigan
Jason Rubinstein
Daily Sports WriterMay 25th, 2013
The final chapter to Evan King’s storied Michigan career has come to a close.
Saturday afternoon, the senior faltered in a three-set match, losing 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 to Japie De Klerk of Tulsa.
Starting the match outdoors at the Atkins Tennis Center in Urbana, Ill., King broke De Klerk early, racing out to a 3-1 lead. But soon after, inclement weather forced the match indoors.
King went onto win the first set 6-3, swinging the momentum his way. But then, his success seemingly started to falter.
“I noticed Evan’s opponent cut down his errors when we moved inside, and it fit well into his game,” said Michigan coach Bruce Berque. “Evan can play well inside as well, but De Klerk really raised his game.”
The Big Ten Athlete of the Year had his serve broken early in the second set. King couldn’t break back, giving De Klerk the set win.
Entering the third set – the first time he was forced to a third set in the tournament – King needed to regain control of his service game, particularly control of points from the baseline. But the senior couldn’t find his serve, with De Klerk controlling the baseline in the third set and ultimately taking the match.
“He didn’t serve well enough as far as consistency and serve percentage,” Berque said. “In my opinion he wasn’t switching up the serve enough, and was hitting too much to de Klerk’s strengths.”
Despite the loss, King’s season and accomplishments will long be remembered. He became Michigan’s all-time leader in wins, with 166 victories. He is the first Wolverine to win Big Ten Athlete of the Year two times, and topped it all off by advancing farther in the NCAA tournament than any other Wolverine since 1982.
His biggest accomplishment may be his impact on his teammates, though.
“He simply raised the level of play for his teammates,” Berque said. “When you get a guy that can hit the ball day in and day out like Evan, you get better by playing with him. Watching his confidence really helps everyone raise their game.”
Added junior Shaun Bernstein: “Everyone in tennis feels that when you play with better players, it pushes you to get better. Whoever was lucky enough to be on the court with Evan; it forces the other guy to step up. It will be embarrassing if you don’t, because you want Evan to get something out of the drill.”
King’s name will not be forgotten after Saturday’s loss. Michigan knows what it’s losing, arguably one of the greatest Wolverine tennis players — ever.
“He had a tremendous impact on the program,” Berque said. “He won more matches in Michigan history. In four years, he never missed a dual match, so he was consistent. He was a guy who really loved his teammates, and I consider him a friend, and will have a lifelong friendship.”
Printed from www.michigandaily.com on Mon, 27 May 2013 14:39:26 -0400