Styler’s NCAA Singles Championship Run Ends with Runner-Up Finish

Styler’s NCAA Singles Championship Run Ends with Runner-Up Finish

Site: Lake Nona, Fla. (USTA National Campus)

Event: NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships (Day 6 of 6)

Score: No Team Scoring

Next U-M Event: Season Completed

LAKE NONA, Fla. — Ondrej Styler of the University of Michigan men’s tennis team is the NCAA Singles runner-up after he dropped a three-set championships match to No. 2-ranked Ethan Quinn of Georgia on Saturday (May 27) at USTA National Campus.

Styler had a chance to cash in during the second set, but Quinn fought off four match points to force a third set.

In the first set, Styler was broken twice and fell behind 5-2. He bounced back in the next game that sent him on a four-game run to take the lead 6-5. Quinn held serve to tie it up at 6-6 and send it to set tiebreaker. At 2-2 in the tiebreak, Styler went on another run, rattling off four straight points to take the match 7-6 (2).

Styler continued his streak into the second set, breaking Quinn in the opening game and going up 2-0. With a 3-1 advantage, Quinn broke and held to even things up at 3-3. Styler answered, breaking back in game seven, and was staring down match point at 5-3. Quinn held, setting up service point/match point for Styler. The senior took a 40-0 lead in the next game, but it was there that Quinn fought off four straight match points and knot things at 5-5. After trading games, it was off to another tiebreaker. The pair exchanged leads in the tiebreak and were once again square at 5-5 before Quinn got the last two strikes to take the set, 7-6 (5) and force a decisive third set.

Quinn earned two early breaks in the third set, taking a 3-2 edge. He went up 4-2 as Styler fell to the court on game point. He took a moment to get back on his feet to serve was broken once again. Quinn held to take the third set 6-2.

Styler completes his senior season with a 31-5 overall record and had a 20-match win streak come to an end this afternoon as the national runner-up. He went 15-2 against ranked opponents, highlighted by his quarterfinal win over No. 1-ranked Eliot Spizzirri on Thursday (May 25).

Styler is the third Wolverine to reach the national championship, joining Dan Goldberg (1987) and Michael Leach (1982) since the NCAA…