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thevalley
Kailash Panchapakesan
1
#6 Northern Kentucky NKU (5-12)
4
Winner #3 UIC UIC (6-14)
#6 Northern Kentucky NKU
(5-12)
1
Final
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#3 UIC UIC
(6-14)
Winner

Match Recap: Men's Tennis |

Flames Take Down Norse, Advance to Semifinals

Efficient 4-1 Win Advances UIC in Horizon League Bracket

UIC applied pressure from the beginning, and earned an efficient, 4-1 win over Northern Kentucky in the Horizon League quarterfinals Friday morning.

"Kasper and Pelle played very well today," head coach Hans Neufeld said.  "They both responded well in their first Horizon League tournament.  We had some good wins in doubles and carried that momentum into singles.  Kailash finished well in singles to give us the win.  We had a close, competitive match with Youngstown State last week and we look forward to facing them again."

On a windy day at the outdoor courts at Purdue's Schwartz Tennis Center, the Flames showed focus from first serve.  After winning the doubles point, the third-seeded Flames won two quick singles matches in straight sets.  Though the #6 Norse won one singles match, UIC needed a win in just one of the three matches still in play.  UIC slammed the door when Kailash Panchapakesan won a 40-all point to give him a 6-1, 6-4 win in his #5 singles match.

UIC earned its first win in conference tournament play since 2015.  With a win in the semis, they would advance to their first championship match since 2010.  That was the last of five straight championship appearances.  The Flames have never won the Horizon League tournament.

The Flames will face Youngstown State in the semifinals Saturday at 10:00 am.

Doubles Results
  • Niko Wasilewicz and William Wale played even through the first four games, but the Norse got a break and went on to win 6-4 at #2.
  • On the #1 court, Johan Hedstrom and Kasper Parlklo led 40-0 at 3-2, but NKU rattled off four straight points to take the game and fend off a break.  After serving to a 5-4 lead, the Flames finally got the elusive break on set point and won 6-4.
  • Marcelo Dib and Pelle Strandberg went up a break at 4-2 at #3.  They never looked back, winning the set 6-4 and clinching the double point for UIC.
Singles Results
  • Strandberg was the first to finish in singles play.  He dominated from start to finish in a 6-0, 6-1 decision at #6.
  • The Norse got their lone point via a win on the #4 court.  Anthony Nguyen won just one game in the 6-1, 6-0 match.
  • Parlklo matched his most efficient effort of the season, dropping just three games in a 6-2, 6-1 win at #3.
  • After a quick win in the first set on the #5 court, Panchapakesan was tested in the second.  He trailed 4-3 before rattling off wins in the next three games for a 6-1, 6-4 win.
  • Hedstrom's match at #1 was halted.  Though he trailed 3-6, 4-5, he had momentum on his side after going down 5-1 in the first set.
  • Wasilewicz likewise did not get to finish his #2 match.  He dropped the first set 6-7 but was ahead in the second, 4-2.
Up Next
  • The Flames advance to play Youngstown State in the semifinals.
  • The Penguins received a bye to the semis by virtue of their #2 seed.
  • YSU won a tightly contested battle when the teams faced off in the regular season.  They pulled out a 4-3 win on their home courts just a week ago.
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