The Michigan men’s tennis team lost only one match this weekend as it traveled to Tulsa, Okla. to compete in the Rocket Invitational Tournament. The Wolverines dominated their competition, facing off against 10 other teams in the Midwest region.
The Wolverines went 5-1 in singles matches and 4-0 in doubles matches, with sophomore Gabe Tishman dropping the only matchup.
“We cannot create pressure situations in practice,” said associate head coach Sean Maymi. “We used this tournament to work on things we are still practicing.”
All four Wolverines competed in the tournament as individuals, so there was no team scoring that contributed to the team’s overall record.
“Actually going out and competing instead of in practice helps us,” said senior Tyler Gardiner. “It helped us calm our nerves in competition.”
On Friday — the first day of play — senior Kevin Wong and Tishman started strong in the singles category, beating two opponents from Duquesne and Toledo in straight sets, respectively.
Tishman and Wong returned to the court on Friday and Saturday as a doubles team, ousting Toledo, 8-4, and Case Western, 8-0, on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
Senior Tyler Gardiner and freshman Connor Johnston also went 2-0 in doubles play on the weekend, beating Youngstown State and Case Western, 8-5 and 8-2, respectively. Johnston had a successful debut, winning two doubles matches and a singles match.
“This was Connor’s first event on the team,” Maymi said. “We wanted him to be comfortable experiencing his first tournament play.”
Michigan won three of the four singles matches Saturday, as Tishman was the only player to drop a match on the weekend. After three sets, he fell in a tiebreaker to Western Michigan’s Jannik Opitz.
The Wolverines continue their fall tennis at the ITA Men’s All-American Championships on Monday, looking to further prepare for the regular season in the spring.