Sept. 21, 2008

 

ELM GROVE, Wis. -- Northwestern made a statement in its first tournament of the fall season by claiming both the singles and doubles titles at the Milwaukee Tennis Classic.

Alexander Thams (Stockholm, Sweden/Enskilda Gymnasiet) was named singles champion while freshman Eric Spector (Northbrook, IL/Glenbrook North) showed why he was a top recruit with a runner-up finish. The pair of Joshua Graves (Milwaukee, Wis./Nicolet) and Alex Sanborn (Houston, Texas/Kinkaid) also remained unbeaten to capture the doubles title.

The Wildcats started the morning by winning five of seven singles matches against Ball State. Thams and Spector both won to each stay an undefeated 3-0 for the weekend. Sanborn and Andrew McCarthy (Cincinnati, Ohio/Indian Hill) also came out on top over their Cardinal opponents to leave the tournament with 2-1 records.

Freshmen Tobias Reitz (Reinbeck, Germany/Sachsenwaldschule Reinbeck), Graves and , and Philip Kafka (Dallas, Texas /Greenhill) fell against Jorge Rodriguez, Eduardo Pavia and Jon Wegener, respectively.

Later in the afternoon, the 'Cats capped off the weekend with two doubles victories against tournament host Marquette.

The pair of Graves and Sanborn defeated Marquette's duo of Medan and Shao, 8-2, to finish with a 2-0 record and capture the doubles championship. The tandem of Reitz and McCarthy also recorded a victory.

The Wildcats return to action next weekend, Sept. 26-28, as they host the Wildcat Fall Invitational. Other schools participating will be Michigan State, Minnesota, Western Michigan University, DePaul, Toledo, Bradley, Iowa, and Illinois State.

Tournament Results:
Men's Singles Champion - Alexander Thams, Northwestern
Men's Singles Runner-up - Eric Spector, Northwestern
Men's Doubles Champion - Alex Sanborn/Joshua Graves, Northwestern
Men's Doubles Runner-up - Michael Muskievicz/Peter Marrack, Wisconsin
Sportsmanship Award - Stephen Shao (Marquette)

Sunday Results
Singles:
Eric Spector (NU) def. Jose Perdomo (BSU), 5-7, 7-6, 10-8
Eduardo Pavia (BSU) def. Joshua Graves (NU), 7-5, 7-6
Jorge Rodriquez (BSU) def. Tobias Reitz (NU), 6-4, 6-2
Alex Sanborn (NU) def. Shaun Bussert (BSU), 6-4, 6-0
Alexander Thams (NU) def. Dave Thomas (BSU), 6-0, 7-5
Andrew McCarthy (NU) def. Derek Carpenter (BSU), 6-1, 6-1
Jon Wegener (BSU) def. Philip Kafka (NU), 4-6, 6-2, 10-3

Doubles:
Graves/Sanborn (NU) def. Medan/Shao (MU), 8-2
Reitz/McCarthy (NU) def. Hagan/Boulieris (MU), 8-5
Rutherford/Schwering (MU) def. Spector/Thams (NU), 8-5

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