After being unable to finish his first singles match of the day with a win, senior Carter Lin was ready for a comeback in his second match.
The No. 13 Michigan men’s tennis team took on both Memphis and Western Michigan on Sunday, winning both matches, 4-0. The Wolverines earned the doubles point in each of the matches, despite neither No. 3 doubles pair coming away with a win due to tight competition.
Against the Tigers, senior Runhao Hua, freshman Kristofer Siimar and freshman Mattias Siimar won their singles matches in straight sets to give the Wolverines the victory overall. On the other hand, Lin won his first set, lost his second set and had a 4-0 lead in the third set when the match ended.
Lin rebounded in the second match against the Broncos, beating Lenhard Haupt in straight sets, though the match was closer than the 6-3, 6-2 score would suggest. Both players battled in the early part of each set before Lin broke Haupt’s serve to take the lead.
“I’ve been struggling finishing recently,” Lin said. “A lot of the guys on the team have been making fun of me, so they motivated me this afternoon to finally close one out.”
Siimar won his second singles match of the day in straight sets after winning six straight games in the first set.
Siimar also paired with his twin brother Kristofer at the third spot in the doubles lineup against Western Michigan. The duo had a 5-4 lead when the match ended after the Wolverines won the other two doubles matches.
The final point of the day for Michigan came from sophomore Connor Johnston and his 6-2, 6-3 win over Matej Svjetlicic. Johnston also notched doubles wins in both of the day’s matches while paired with senior Alex Knight against Memphis and junior Gabe Tishman against the Broncos.
The Wolverines overcame injuries to star players and illness in Sunday’s wins — junior Myles Schalet was a notable abscence — while displaying their depth at all spots in the lineup. In particular, Michigan coach Adam Steinberg has been experimenting with different combinations at the No. 3 spot in the doubles lineup, but the lineup at that spot is beginning to stabilize.
“It’s good to see all the different teams, all the different options,” Steinberg said. “We have so much depth, we feel good about whoever we put in. That’s going to be a strength of our team.”
The Wolverines’ dominant day was a good sign for them, as the Big Ten season looms in the near future. And though Steinberg says his team can improve in “playing together,” it seems the team is starting to form into shape.