Saturday, March 12
Evanston, Ill.
12 p.m. CT
Northwestern
3
vs
4
Columbia
Photo by: Ryan Kuttler / NUSports.com
Wildcats Defeat Flames And Battle No. 16 Columbia
3/12/2022 9:09:00 PM | Men's Tennis
EVANSTON, Ill. – No. 19 Northwestern defeated UIC 4-0 and fell to No. 16. Columbia, 4-3, in a doubleheader at Combe Tennis Center on Saturday.
The Wildcats went down to the wire with the Lions in a tightly contested match between two top-20 teams, but ultimately came out of the day with 11-4 record.
Northwestern got off to a quick start against Columbia with the doubles point, as Simen Bratholm and Brian Berdusco cruised, 6-0, at No. 2 and Natan Spear and Trice Pickens delivered at No. 3 with a 6-3 win.
It turned out to be a marathon match, with five out of six singles battles going three sets and compelling tennis across all six courts. Simen Bratholm struck first with a ranked win at No. 2 over No. 122 Hugo Hashimoto, 6-3, 7-6 (2), fending off multiple comeback efforts with an eventual tiebreak win. While Hashimoto is a first year, he was ranked in the top-five nationally as a recruit in 2020 and 2021.
Columbia halved the deficit to 2-1 with a win at No. 1, despite a superb effort from Steven Forman, who took the opening set off of No. 9 Alex Kotzen and traded blows in a tough second set decided on a few points.
The Wildcats opened a 3-1 lead as first year Felix Nordby made a late push in his third set to knock off Roko Horvat, 6-3, 1-6, 7-5.
Columbia came all the way back with wins at No. 3, 4, and 5, but it was not for a lack of effort from Pickens, Presley Thieneman and Berdusco,
Berdusco, in particular, delivered one of the biggest moments of the day, saving three match points on his serve, down 6-5 in the deciding third set with the overall match at 3-3.
It was a frustrating end to a fierce afternoon, but yet another clash of Tournament level tennis for the Wildcats, who were just starting their find their groove with six quality wins in a row before a pause in their schedule.
The 'Cats took care of UIC in the second half of the doubleheader with a workmanlike performance, including strong efforts from those who did not pick up team points.
The doubles point came quickly thanks to 6-2 efforts from Spear and Pickens at No. 2, and Nordby and Saiprakash Goli at No. 3.
Presley Thieneman, playing in his second match of the day, made it 2-0, with a comprehensive 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 2 against Gustavo Schwebel.
Trice Pickens followed suit with his team-high 11th win of the season, as he had too much in the tank for Pelle Strandberg in a 6-1, 6-2 win.
Gleb Blekher clinched the match at 4-0 with a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 5 over Ammar Wazir.
Berdusco and Nordby, both playing their second match of the day after lengthy three-set battles earlier, faced strong efforts from their competition at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, but saw out successful first sets.
First year Max Bengtsson also made his collegiate debut at No. 6 singles, taking his first set 6-2.
The Wildcats are back in action after next weekend, when they hit the road to take on NC State on Monday at 2 p.m. CT. The Wolfpack are ranked No. 29 and will pose a stiff challenge at home.
Full results from both matches are below.
Columbia vs Northwestern Wildcats
3/12/2022 at Evanston, Ill.
(Combe Tennis Center)
#16 Columbia 4, #19 Northwestern Wildcats 3
Singles competition
1. #9 Alex Kotzen (COL) def. #67 Steven Forman (NU) 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
2. Simen Bratholm (NU) def. #122 Hugo Hashimoto (COL) 6-3, 7-6 (7-2)
3. Max Westphal (COL) def. #100 Trice Pickens (NU) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
4. Austen Huang (COL) def. Presley Thieneman (NU) 3-6, 6-4, 7-5
5. Henry Ruger (COL) def. Brian Berdusco (NU) 7-6 (8-6), 1-6, 7-6 (7-2)
6. Felix Nordby (NU) def. Roko Horvat (COL) 6-3, 1-6, 7-5
Doubles competition
1. #19 Max Westphal/Theo Winegar (COL) def. Steven Forman/Felix Nordby (NU) 6-3
2. Simen Bratholm/Brian Berdusco (NU) def. Henry Ruger/Jayden Templeman (COL) 6-0
3. Natan Spear/Trice Pickens (NU) def. Roko Horvat/Alex Kotzen (COL) 6-3
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (2,1,6,3,4,5)
UIC vs Northwestern Wildcats
3/12/2022 at Evanston, Ill.
(Combe Tennis Center)
#19 Northwestern Wildcats 4, UIC 0
Singles competition
1. #100 Trice Pickens (NU) def. STRANDBERG, Pelle (UIC) 6-1, 6-2
2. Presley Thieneman (NU) def. SCHWEBEL, Gustavo (UIC) 6-0, 6-1
3. Brian Berdusco (NU) vs. TACCONI, Francesco (UIC) 6-3, unfinished
4. Felix Nordby (NU) vs. NGUYEN, Anthony (UIC) 6-4, 1-1, unfinished
5. Gleb Blekher (NU) def. WAZIR, Ammar (UIC) 6-1, 6-1
6. Max Bengtsson (NU) vs. KRUZEL, Kevin (UIC) 6-2, 4-3, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Brian Berdusco/Gleb Blekher (NU) vs. TACCONI, Francesco/DOS SANTOS, Luiz (UIC) 2-5, unfinished
2. Natan Spear/Trice Pickens (NU) def. SCHWEBEL, Gustavo/STRANDBERG, Pelle (UIC) 6-2
3. Felix Nordby/Saiprakash Goli (NU) def. WAZIR, Ammar/KRUZEL, Kevin (UIC) 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (2,1,5)
The Wildcats went down to the wire with the Lions in a tightly contested match between two top-20 teams, but ultimately came out of the day with 11-4 record.
Northwestern got off to a quick start against Columbia with the doubles point, as Simen Bratholm and Brian Berdusco cruised, 6-0, at No. 2 and Natan Spear and Trice Pickens delivered at No. 3 with a 6-3 win.
It turned out to be a marathon match, with five out of six singles battles going three sets and compelling tennis across all six courts. Simen Bratholm struck first with a ranked win at No. 2 over No. 122 Hugo Hashimoto, 6-3, 7-6 (2), fending off multiple comeback efforts with an eventual tiebreak win. While Hashimoto is a first year, he was ranked in the top-five nationally as a recruit in 2020 and 2021.
Columbia halved the deficit to 2-1 with a win at No. 1, despite a superb effort from Steven Forman, who took the opening set off of No. 9 Alex Kotzen and traded blows in a tough second set decided on a few points.
The Wildcats opened a 3-1 lead as first year Felix Nordby made a late push in his third set to knock off Roko Horvat, 6-3, 1-6, 7-5.
Columbia came all the way back with wins at No. 3, 4, and 5, but it was not for a lack of effort from Pickens, Presley Thieneman and Berdusco,
Berdusco, in particular, delivered one of the biggest moments of the day, saving three match points on his serve, down 6-5 in the deciding third set with the overall match at 3-3.
It was a frustrating end to a fierce afternoon, but yet another clash of Tournament level tennis for the Wildcats, who were just starting their find their groove with six quality wins in a row before a pause in their schedule.
The 'Cats took care of UIC in the second half of the doubleheader with a workmanlike performance, including strong efforts from those who did not pick up team points.
The doubles point came quickly thanks to 6-2 efforts from Spear and Pickens at No. 2, and Nordby and Saiprakash Goli at No. 3.
Presley Thieneman, playing in his second match of the day, made it 2-0, with a comprehensive 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 2 against Gustavo Schwebel.
Trice Pickens followed suit with his team-high 11th win of the season, as he had too much in the tank for Pelle Strandberg in a 6-1, 6-2 win.
Gleb Blekher clinched the match at 4-0 with a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 5 over Ammar Wazir.
Berdusco and Nordby, both playing their second match of the day after lengthy three-set battles earlier, faced strong efforts from their competition at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, but saw out successful first sets.
First year Max Bengtsson also made his collegiate debut at No. 6 singles, taking his first set 6-2.
The Wildcats are back in action after next weekend, when they hit the road to take on NC State on Monday at 2 p.m. CT. The Wolfpack are ranked No. 29 and will pose a stiff challenge at home.
Full results from both matches are below.
Columbia vs Northwestern Wildcats
3/12/2022 at Evanston, Ill.
(Combe Tennis Center)
#16 Columbia 4, #19 Northwestern Wildcats 3
Singles competition
1. #9 Alex Kotzen (COL) def. #67 Steven Forman (NU) 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
2. Simen Bratholm (NU) def. #122 Hugo Hashimoto (COL) 6-3, 7-6 (7-2)
3. Max Westphal (COL) def. #100 Trice Pickens (NU) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
4. Austen Huang (COL) def. Presley Thieneman (NU) 3-6, 6-4, 7-5
5. Henry Ruger (COL) def. Brian Berdusco (NU) 7-6 (8-6), 1-6, 7-6 (7-2)
6. Felix Nordby (NU) def. Roko Horvat (COL) 6-3, 1-6, 7-5
Doubles competition
1. #19 Max Westphal/Theo Winegar (COL) def. Steven Forman/Felix Nordby (NU) 6-3
2. Simen Bratholm/Brian Berdusco (NU) def. Henry Ruger/Jayden Templeman (COL) 6-0
3. Natan Spear/Trice Pickens (NU) def. Roko Horvat/Alex Kotzen (COL) 6-3
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (2,1,6,3,4,5)
UIC vs Northwestern Wildcats
3/12/2022 at Evanston, Ill.
(Combe Tennis Center)
#19 Northwestern Wildcats 4, UIC 0
Singles competition
1. #100 Trice Pickens (NU) def. STRANDBERG, Pelle (UIC) 6-1, 6-2
2. Presley Thieneman (NU) def. SCHWEBEL, Gustavo (UIC) 6-0, 6-1
3. Brian Berdusco (NU) vs. TACCONI, Francesco (UIC) 6-3, unfinished
4. Felix Nordby (NU) vs. NGUYEN, Anthony (UIC) 6-4, 1-1, unfinished
5. Gleb Blekher (NU) def. WAZIR, Ammar (UIC) 6-1, 6-1
6. Max Bengtsson (NU) vs. KRUZEL, Kevin (UIC) 6-2, 4-3, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Brian Berdusco/Gleb Blekher (NU) vs. TACCONI, Francesco/DOS SANTOS, Luiz (UIC) 2-5, unfinished
2. Natan Spear/Trice Pickens (NU) def. SCHWEBEL, Gustavo/STRANDBERG, Pelle (UIC) 6-2
3. Felix Nordby/Saiprakash Goli (NU) def. WAZIR, Ammar/KRUZEL, Kevin (UIC) 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (2,1,5)
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,1,3
#1 Singles Match
123
Alex Kotzen / 0 (9/-) [COL]
466
641
#2 Singles Match
12
Hugo Hashimoto / 0 (122/-) [COL]
36
67
#3 Singles Match
123
Max Westphal / 0 [COL]
466
644
#4 Singles Match
123
Austen Huang / 0 [COL]
367
645
#5 Singles Match
123
Henry Ruger / 0 [COL]
717
656
#6 Singles Match
123
Roko Horvat / 0 [COL]
365
617
Order of Finish:
2,1,6,3,4,5
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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