The Michigan men’s tennis team performance in the three-day Key Biscayne Invitational in Florida can be summed up by one word: mediocre.
- JEN KRON/Daily
- Andrew Mazlin at Michigan vs Wisconsin Friday March 21
The 16th-ranked Wolverines came out strong yesterday against Alabama but faltered against Texas and Georgia Tech. The latter caught Michigan by surprise, No. 58 Georgia Tech ranking didn’t seem imposing, but its play certainly was.
Thought Michigan fell short of expectations, coach Bruce Berque and his players were cautiously optimistic following the individual tournament.
“The skills looked good and the conditioning looked really good,” Berque said. “The goal was to get back into the mode of competition and to see where we are and what we have to work on.”
The team didn’t play well, but Berque added that there were some standout performances, naming senior Andrew Mazlin the best Michigan player.
“(Andrew) did a really good job,” Berque said. “He competed the most over break and it showed. Everyone respects him as a competitor.”
Playing No. 2 singles, Mazlin posted wins against Alabama’s Billy Mertz and Georgia Tech’s Kevin King, winning the latter in three sets.
The Wolverines fared well at the start of the invitational. The singles players, which went 6-3 with all of its victories coming over Alabama, were led by sophomore Jason Jung. But Berque was disappointed with Michigan’s doubles teams, which posted four losses against opponents from Texas on Friday.
The second day ended poorly. DePietro contributed to the Wolverines’ lone win at No. 8 singles while the rest of the lineup suffered against Texas.
“The level of competition was very strong,” Berque said. “(Texas) was pretty dominant. If we play a team as good as Texas, we need to play our absolute best.”