KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's tennis team got back to its winning ways on Wednesday, shutting out both opponents it played in a doubleheader sweep of Ferris State and Western Illinois in Kalamazoo. With the wins, the Broncos improve to 14-4 on the season. They will conclude their three-match homestand on Sunday when they host Valparaiso at 3 p.m.
WMU started the day by playing outdoors in their first home outdoor dual match of the season, beating the Bulldogs 7-0 for a solid start to the afternoon. The doubles pairing of Stephen Payne and Ruben Greiner opened the session with a 6-3 win over the Bulldogs' Laurent Galarneau and Aaron Dial, and the duo of Jimmy Beckwith and Maik Steiner clinched the doubles point with a 6-3 win over Tyler Bridges and Vasil Surduk in the No. 2 spot. Andrew Cahn and Marc Shideler finished things off with a competitive win over Roger Hernandez and Zachary Grabovic, downing them 6-4 to complete the doubles sweep.
Beckwith was the first to strike in singles play, beating Grabovic 6-3, 6-0 in the No. 5 match, and Steiner quickly made it a 3-0 score with a straight-sets win over Galarneau. Finishing off the Bulldogs was Jefta Kecic, who blew past Surduk 6-2, 6-2 for the deciding victory. Greiner beat Hernandez 6-4, 6-3 in the No. 3 singles match, Cahn cruised past Hunt at No. 6, and Pablo Mora closed out the scoring with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Bridges at the No. 4 spot to complete the blanking of the Bulldogs.
Payne and Marc Shideler started things off against the Leathernecks in the nightcap played at West Hills Athletic Club, beating Western Illinois's No. 3 duo of Anthony Timberlake and Jacob Sanders by a perfect 6-0 mark to open the session. Beckwith and Kecic followed suit in the No. 2 doubles match, beating Chris Bunch and Ross Smith by an identical 6-0 score. Steiner and Greiner faced a little more adversity but still came to the same result, beating Nikola Pavlovic and Surya Sawhney 6-3 in the top doubles match to complete the sweep.
Things proceeded even more quickly in the singles session, with WMU immediately taking a 2-0 lead after the Leathernecks' Bunch withdrew from the No. 1 singles match just three games in. Cahn blew past Timberlake 6-1, 6-0 to make it a 3-0 score, and Payne blanked Smith 6-0, 6-0 in the No. 5 singles match to complete the win. Mora recorded an identical score over Sanders in the No. 4 match, Beckwith beat Sawhney 6-0, 6-1 in the No. 3 singles match, and Greiner completed the win with a 6-2, 6-1 decision in the No. 2 match.
Western Michigan 7, Ferris State 0
Singles competition
1. Maik Steiner (WMU) def. Laurent Galarneau (FSU) 6-1, 6-4
2. Jefta Kecic (WMU) def. Vasil Surduk (FSU) 6-2, 6-2
3. Ruben Greiner (WMU) def. Roger Hernandez (FSU) 6-4, 6-3
4. Pablo Mora (WMU) def. Tyler Bridges (FSU) 6-2, 6-3
5. Jimmy Beckwith (WMU) def. Zachary Grabovic (FSU) 6-3, 6-0
6. Andrew Cahn (WMU) def. Connor Hunt (FSU) 6-2, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. Stephen Payne/Ruben Greiner (WMU) def. Laurent Galarneau/Aaron Dial (FSU) 6-3
2. Jimmy Beckwith/Maik Steiner (WMU) def. Tyler Bridges/Vasil Surduk (FSU) 6-3
3. Andrew Cahn/Marc Shideler (WMU) def. Roger Hernandez/Zachary Grabovic (FSU) 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (5,1,2,3,6,4)
Western Michigan 7, Western Illinois 0
Singles competition
1. Jefta Kecic (WMU) def. Chris Bunch (WIU) 3-0, retired
2. Ruben Greiner (WMU) def. Nikola Pavlovic (WIU) 6-2, 6-1
3. Jimmy Beckwith (WMU) def. Surya Sawhney (WIU) 6-0, 6-1
4. Pablo Mora (WMU) def. Jacob Sanders (WIU) 6-0, 6-0
5. Stephen Payne (WMU) def. Ross Smith (WIU) 6-0, 6-0
6. Andrew Cahn (WMU) def. Anthony Timberlake (WIU) 6-1, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. Maik Steiner/Ruben Greiner (WMU) def. Nikola Pavlovic/Surya Sawhney (WIU) 6-3
2. Jimmy Beckwith/Jefta Kecic (WMU) def. Chris Bunch/Ross Smith (WIU) 6-0
3. Stephen Payne/Marc Shideler (WMU) def. Anthony Timberlake/Jacob Sanders (WIU) 6-0
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (1,6,5,3,4,2)
