Oct. 31, 2009
EAST LANSING, Mich. - After a dominant performance in doubles competition on Friday, the Penn State men's tennis team continued its strong efforts on Saturday in singles action, going a combined 11-5. Senior Ryan Gormley (Las Vegas, Nev.), junior Eddie Bourchier (Hobart, Australia), and sophomore Jason Lee (Melbourne, Australia) all remain alive, as the three advanced to the round of 16, picking up two wins apiece.
Gomley began his day in a tough matchup with Iowa's Reinoud Haal. Gormley took the first set, 6-3, but Haal rallied back to take the second set, 6-1. That forced a third set, in which Gormley battled to a 6-4 victory, advancing him to the second round. The Las Vegas native breezed through his second round matchup as he defeated Minnesota's Brendan Ruddock, 6-3, 6-2. Gormley will face Michigan's Chris Madden in the round of 16.
Bourchier, who teamed up with Lee on Friday to capture the Flight "A" doubles crown, picked up two straight-set victories to earn his spot in the third round, which will begin on Sunday. In his first round match, Bourchier knocked off Indiana's Will Kendall, 6-3, 6-2. Bourchier picked up his second victory of the day over Purdue's P.J. Rose, 7-5, 6-4. Bourchier is set to face Northwestern's Eric Spector on Sunday.
Lee continued his winning ways as well for Penn State. In the first round, he buried Purdue's Billy Heuer, 6-2, 6-1. Lee then cruised in his second round matchup, defeating Jason Norville of Michigan State, 6-2, 6-4. Lee will take on Wisconsin's Luke Rassow-Kantor in the third round on Sunday.
In other singels action, senior Guillaume St-Maurice (Saint Eustache, Quebec) picked up three-set victory in the first round over Northwestern's Mark Schanerman, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-4. St-Maurice however had a second round setback to Illinois' Marek Czerwinski, 6-4, 6-2.
Freshman Warren Hardie (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) picked up a win in the first round over Minnesota's Derek Peterson, 7-6 (1), 6-0. Hardie eventually was shut down in the second round by Wisconsin's Billy Bertha, 6-2, 7-5. Freshmen Bryan Welnetz (Laredo, Texas) was also a first round winner as he defeated Illinois' Connor Roth, 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (3) before losing to Wisconsin's Chirs Freeman, 6-3, 7-6 (6) in the second round. Hardie, St-Maurice, and Welnetz will all participate in the back draw on Sunday.
Sophomore Taylor Cohen (Philadelphia, Pa.) and freshman C.J. Griffin (Portland, Mich.) both had losses in the first round of the main singles draw. However, they both earned victories in the first round of the back draw. Cohen picked up a 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) win over Minnesota's Eddie Svenda while Griffin downed Purdue's Jan-Frans Englebrecht, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2.
Third round and quarterfinals action of the Big Ten Indoors will continue tomorrow and conclude on Monday with the semifinals and finals.
Penn State will begin dual match play on Jan. 24 with a doubleheader matchup at home with Princeton and Lehigh.
Singles Draw
Round 1: Ryan Gormley (PSU) def. Reinoud Haal (Iowa), 6-3, 1-6, 6-4
Round 1: Guillaume St-Maurice (PSU) def. Mark Schanerman (NW), 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-4
Round 1: Warren Hardie (PSU) def. Derek Peterson (Minn.), 7-6 (1), 6-0
Round 1: Eddie Bourchier (PSU) def. Will Kendall (Ind.), 6-3, 6-2
Round 1: Austin Brooks (MSU) def. Taylor Cohen (PSU), 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
Round 1: Phillip Arndt (Minn.) def. C.J. Griffin (PSU), 6-4, 6-0
Round 1: Jason Lee (PSU) def. Billy Heuer (Purdue), 6-2, 6-1
Round 1: Bryan Welnetz (PSU) def. Conor Roth (Ill.), 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (3)
Round 2: Marek Czerwinski (Ill.) def. Guillaume St-Maurice (PSU), 6-4, 6-2
Round 2: Ryan Gormley (PSU) def. Brendan Ruddock (Minn.), 6-3, 6-2
Round 2: Billy Bertha (Wis.) def. Warren Hardie (PSU), 6-2, 7-5
Round 2: Eddie Bourchier (PSU) def. P.J. Rose (Pur.), 7-5, 6-4
Round 2: Jason Lee (PSU) def. Jason Norville (MSU), 6-2, 6-4
Round 2: Chris Freeman (Wis.) def. Bryan Welnetz (PSU), 6-3, 7-6 (6)
Singles Back Draw
Round 1: Taylor Cohen (PSU) def. Eddie Svenda (Minn.), 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5)
Round 1: C.J. Griffin (PSU) def. Jan-Frans Englebrecht (Pur.), 6-1, 4-6, 6-2