Michigan defeats Wisconsin behind dominant singles play

After an upset loss on Wednesday against No. 19 Florida, the No. 3 Michigan women’s tennis team looked to bounce back.

Under a strong showing from senior Andrea Cerdan and a dominant singles performance from freshman Lily Jones, the Wolverines (12-3 overall, 4-0 Big Ten) did exactly that against No. 17 Wisconsin (13-3, 4-2), winning 5-2 on Saturday. Michigan fixed its inconsistencies exposed against Florida, while capitalizing on the Badgers’ mistakes. 

The Wolverines, however started off slow as doubles play lasted close to an hour. While Cerdan and junior Merri Kelly made quick work of their opponents, winning 6-1, Jones and sophomore Julia Fliegner struggled early. The pair fell behind Wisconsin’s Xinyu Cai and Alina Mukhortova. Finding themselves down 5-2, a valiant comeback effort was made, but ultimately Cai and Mukhortova were too much for the pair, winning 6-4.

Then, all eyes turned to court one. The junior duo of Jaeden Brown and Kari Miller found themselves locked in a 6-6 tie against the Badgers’ Ava Markham and Maria Sholokhova. Michigan’s pair went up 3-0 on tiebreaker points before Wisconsin charged back to take a 4-3 lead. After defending against a match point at 6-5, Brown and Miller won the next three points to win the tiebreaker point 8-6, taking the doubles point for the Wolverines. 

“We didn’t play well on Wednesday (against the Gators),” Michigan coach Ronnie Bernstein said. “We just didn’t compete like we can. It was good to see that we can come back after Wednesday and play a much cleaner match today.”

The Wolverines started to assert their strength in singles, as Cerdan again dominated her opponent, winning handily 6-2, 6-2 against Charmaine Seah on court six. No. 30 Brown also found success, beating No. 44 Markham in straight sets. Down 4-1 in the first set, Brown completed the impressive comeback win, then took control to win the second set and claim the point for Michigan. 

Jones and Fliegner have found success in doubles and singles throughout the season, so Saturday’s doubles loss was uncharacteristic for the duo — and the struggle in singles on Wednesday wasn’t normal for them either. However, not allowing their recent defeats to effect their singles play, Fliegner won the match for the Wolverines in straight sets 7-5, 6-4. But, Michigan wasn’t done. After losing in her doubles match, Jones found herself in unfamiliar territory.

“Julia and I have had a great season, so it was just kind of weird to lose,” Jones said. “Before my single I just told myself I need to step it up and have a lot of energy.”

No. 63 Jones showed that energy and skill set against the Badgers’ Taylor Cataldi. Jones took the driver’s seat in the first set, winning in dominant fashion, 6-2. The fans in attendance were right there behind her, applauding and cheering every point she won. Even after dropping the second set to Cataldi 6-3, she knew the energy behind her was the push she needed to finish it off.

“I mean, I loved it,” Jones said. “I know they have my back. It got to the point where they’re screaming, and it’s just really helpful. ”

Whether it was the energy or her powerful forehand, Jones made quick work of Cataldi, winning the third set 6-1, and capturing another point for the Wolverines. Wisconsin did grab two points in the singles, with one coming from junior Gala Mesochoritou retiring during the third set, and the other from Sholokhova defeating Miller in a hard fought battle 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.

Michigan showcased its resilience from Wednesday’s loss, and displayed that despite those woes. With only Big Ten meets remaining, optimism is high for the remainder of the season.

“Every year is kind of different,” Bernstein said. “This year’s group has just battled. We’ve played a really tough schedule, and they’ve come through. They’re just good, good kids who care a lot.”

The Wolverines are hunting for their fifth Big Ten title in six years, and if Saturday was any implication — starting an eight-meet stretch in conference play with a win — the tools are certainly there to do so.