May 23, 2004
TULSA, Okla. - Baylor's men's tennis team took another historic step closer to its quest for a NCAA Championship by advancing to the semifinals of the NCAA Men's Tennis Championships for the first time in the program's history. The Bears blanked Ohio State, 4-0 in the tournament quarterfinals at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center on the campus of the University of Tulsa on Sunday afternoon.
With the victory, Baylor extended its season record to a program-best 30-2. In addition, the Bears extended their school-record win streak to 22 matches. The Bears ended Ohio State's season at 26-5. The Bears will now face second-seeded Southern California, 4-0 winners over Stanford on Monday at 2 p.m. Southern California defeated the Bears in Los Angeles on Feb. 28, 4-3. Baylor has since won 22 consecutive matches.
The Bears took the doubles point by winning matches at No. 1 and 3. Despite dropping behind 2-0 at No. 3, Reiner Neurohr and Ivor Lovrak bounced back and took four of the next five games to take a 4-3 advantage. After giving up one game to their Ohio State opponent, the tandem proceeded to win three straight to go up 7-4. The Buckeyes held serve but the Baylor duo won the eighth game. At court one, 22nd-ranked Benedikt Dorsch and Matija Zgaga leaped out to a 6-1 advantage before 25th-ranked Jeremy Wurtzman and Joey Atas rebounded to win three straight games and close to within 6-4. Dorsch held his serve to go up 7-4 and in the eighth and final game, Wurtzman double faulted the last two points to give the Bears their win and the doubles point.
All three winning singles matches ended within five minutes of each other. Junior Benedikt Dorsch, ranked No. 2, easily defeated third-ranked Jeremy Wurtzman, 6-3, 6-4. Ivor Lovrak, playing at No. 6, extended his undefeated mark at that position, by defeating Dennis Mertens, 6-3, 6-4. Lovrak, ranked No. 119, has now extended his career record at the six position to 26-0. Senior Reiner Neurohr clinched the match for the Bears with a straight sets win over Ross Wilson at No. 5, 6-4, 7-5. Baylor's other three players, Benjamin Becker, Matias Marin and Matija Zgaga, had all lost their first sets and were early in their second set when play was suspended.
No. 2 Baylor 4, No. 17 Ohio State 4
Singles
Order of finish: 1, 6, 5
1. #2 Benedikt Dorsch (BU) def. #3 Jeremy Wurtzman (OSU) 6-3, 6-4
2. #15 Benjamin Becker (BU) vs. Joey Atas (OSU) DNF
3. #98 Matias Marin (BU) vs. Chris Klingemann (OSU) DNF
4. #113 Matija Zgaga (BU) vs. Devin Mullings (OSU) DNF
5. Reiner Neurohr (BU) vs. Ross Wilson (OSU) 6-4, 7-5
6. #119 Ivor Lovrak (BU) vs. Dennis Mertens (OSU) 6-3, 6-4
Doubles
Order of finish: 3, 1
1. #20 Dorsch/Zgaga (BU) def. #25 Atas/Wurtzman (OSU) 8-4
2. #24 Becker/Marin (BU) vs. Scott Green/Wilson (OSU) DNF
3. Lovrak/Neurohr (BU) def. Brenton Contini/Mertens (OSU) 8-5
