ROCKFORD, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men’s tennis team split a pair of matches on Friday, falling to Southern Illinois, 4-3, before beating Chicago State, 5-2, at Boylan Tennis Center. The results move the Huskies to 4-3 overall in the dual match season.

“We almost pulled it off I was really happy with the way we competed,” said NIU head coach Patrick Fisher. “We put ourselves in position to beat a really good team in Southern Illinois, I think they will be one of the best teams in the Missouri Valley Conference. It was a really long day, playing two matches but playing all these matches will help us become stronger. Now we have to come out and get ourselves up for Saint Louis, I'm ready for our guys to play again tomorrow.”

In the opening match against the Salukis, NIU took the doubles point with wins at two and three. Sophomores Georg Lundkvist (Linkoping, Sweden/Lindkopings Kommun) and Kevin Daun (Vasteras, Sweden/Widenska Gymnasiet Idrottscollege) claimed a 7-6 win at number two and sophomores Tom Hjertonsson (Gothenburg, Sweden/Akademi Båstad Gymnasium) and Louis-Philippe Hamel (Drummondville, Quebec, Canada) earned a 6-2 win at number three.

With the point advantage heading into singles, Hjertonsson was able to claim a 6-3, 6-3 win over Alex Pozo at number four and sophomore Austin Russell (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield South) defeated Daniel Martinez, 6-2, 7-6, at number six. SIU took straight-set wins at two, three and five, and when Jonny Rigby upended junior Carlos Manzanas (Madrid, Spain/IES Principe Felipe), 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, the Salukis took the match, 4-3.

In the second match of the day against Chicago State, Lundkvist and Daun defeated Rohan Wattley and Felix Savard, 6-4 at second doubles, and the Huskies took the third doubles match by default, giving NIU the one-point lead heading into singles.

The Huskies swept the top-three singles spots, and won at number six by default, to clinch the match win. Manzanas was a 6-4, 6-2 winner over Savard at number one. At two, Hjertonsson defeated Gabriel Niculescu, 7-5, 7-5, and Daun outlasted Wattley, 6-4, 6-7, 10-4, at number three.

NIU will return to action on Saturday, Feb. 6, when the Huskies host Saint Louis at 2 p.m. at the Boylan Tennis Center in Rockford, Ill.


Southern Illinois 4, NIU 3

Doubles
1. Jonny Rigby/Michal Kianicka (SIU) def. Carlos Manzanas/Austin Russell (NIU), 6-2
2. Georg Lundkvist/Kevin Daun (NIU) def. Wilder Pimentel/Alex Pozo (SIU), 7-6
3. Tom Hjertonsson/Louis-Philippe Hamel (NIU) def. Daniel Martinez/Peter Molloy (SIU), 6-2

Singles
1. Jonny Rigby (SIU) def. Carlos Manzanas (NIU), 2-6, 6-2, 6-3
2. Michal Kianicka (SIU) def. Louis-Philippe Hamel (NIU), 6-4, 6-2
3. Wilder Pimentel (SIU) def. Georg Lundkvist (NIU), 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
4. Tom Hjertonsson (NIU) def. Alex Pozo (SIU), 6-3, 6-3
5. Alex Pozo (SIU) def. Kevin Daun (NIU), 6-1, 6-2
6. Austin Russell (NIU) def. Daniel Martinez (SIU), 6-2, 7-6

NIU 5, Chicago State 2

Doubles
1. Gabriel Niculescu/Christian Gonzalez (CSU) def. Carlos Manzanas/Austin Russell (NIU), 7-6
2. Georg Lundkvist/Kevin Daun (NIU) def. Rohan Wattley/Felix Savard (CSU), 6-4
3. Tom Hjertonsson/Erich Schuette (NIU) by default

Singles
1. Carlos Manzanas (NIU) def. Felix Savard (CSU), 6-4, 6-2
2. Tom Hjertonsson (NIU) def. Gabriel Niculescu (CSU), 7-5, 7-5
3. Kevin Daun (NIU) def. Rohan Wattley (CSU), 6-4, 6-7, 10-4
4. Christian Gonzalez (CSU) def. Austin Russell (NIU), 7-5, 6-4
5. Gonzalo Martinez (CSU) def. Erich Schuette (NIU), 6-2, 6-1
6. NIU by default