Illinois duo stays perfect, wins Midwest Regional title
Source: FightingIllini.com
Posted: Monday, October 19, 2009 7:46:00 PM EST
Published: Monday, October 19, 2009 7:47:52 PM EST
Posted: Monday, October 19, 2009 7:46:00 PM EST
Published: Monday, October 19, 2009 7:47:52 PM EST
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The Illini's fifth-seeded duo of sophomore Dennis Nevolo and senior Marek Czerwinski posted five straight victories en route to claiming the doubles title at the Wilson/ITA Midwest Regional Championships on Monday. The teammates are now 7-0 in doubles matches for the fall.
In the semifinal match, the pair knocked off Wisconsin's top-seeded team of Moritz Baumann and Marek Michalicka, 9-7, before defeating Michigan's third-seeded duo of Jason Jung and George Navas, 8-5 in the championship match.
"Dennis and Marek were down for a little bit in the match, but they showed great resiliency and maturity in how they fought back," head coach Brad Dancer said. "They were able to stay focused and just got through it point by point. Marek's level of play picked up throughout the weekend and he became much more aggressive. But they both did a great job of not getting down and stayed steady emotionally."
Prior to the doubles matches, Nevolo fell to eventual-champion Casey Watt of Notre Dame, 0-6, 6-4, 7-5 in the semifinals of singles play.
"You have to give (Casey) Watt a lot of credit," Dancer said. "He kept coming back and had some big shots at big moments. It was a learning experience for Dennis. He's great at being creative, but I think he needed to play a bit simpler."
"The singles result was upsetting, but I just let it go and focused on doubles," Nevolo said. "We were able to string a couple of matches together and finish on a positive note."
Czerwinski, who reached the quarterfinal round of singles play, was proud of the duo's finish.
"I'm really happy with the results, and a little surprised," Czerwinski said. "We haven't played together much yet, so there's still a good amount of room to improve, but we'll work to get better each match as we finish out the fall schedule."
The Illini return to action Oct. 30-Nov. 2 at the Big Ten Singles Championships hosted by Michigan State.
In the semifinal match, the pair knocked off Wisconsin's top-seeded team of Moritz Baumann and Marek Michalicka, 9-7, before defeating Michigan's third-seeded duo of Jason Jung and George Navas, 8-5 in the championship match.
"Dennis and Marek were down for a little bit in the match, but they showed great resiliency and maturity in how they fought back," head coach Brad Dancer said. "They were able to stay focused and just got through it point by point. Marek's level of play picked up throughout the weekend and he became much more aggressive. But they both did a great job of not getting down and stayed steady emotionally."
Prior to the doubles matches, Nevolo fell to eventual-champion Casey Watt of Notre Dame, 0-6, 6-4, 7-5 in the semifinals of singles play.
"You have to give (Casey) Watt a lot of credit," Dancer said. "He kept coming back and had some big shots at big moments. It was a learning experience for Dennis. He's great at being creative, but I think he needed to play a bit simpler."
"The singles result was upsetting, but I just let it go and focused on doubles," Nevolo said. "We were able to string a couple of matches together and finish on a positive note."
Czerwinski, who reached the quarterfinal round of singles play, was proud of the duo's finish.
"I'm really happy with the results, and a little surprised," Czerwinski said. "We haven't played together much yet, so there's still a good amount of room to improve, but we'll work to get better each match as we finish out the fall schedule."
The Illini return to action Oct. 30-Nov. 2 at the Big Ten Singles Championships hosted by Michigan State.
