A showdown with one of the nation’s top-ranked teams and the return of a former Gopher player as an opposing coach, highlight the upcoming weekend for the Minnesota men’s tennis team.
The Gophers will open three-match home weekend by taking on 21st-ranked Wake Forest on Friday at 5 p.m. at the Baseline Tennis Center in the first-ever meeting between the Big Ten and Atlantic Coast Conference rivals.
Minnesota is currently 5-1 overall and brings a three-match winning streak into the match, including a 6-1 win over 46th-ranked Southern Methodist last weekend. Wake Forest is 5-2 with losses to ninth-ranked Mississippi and top-ranked Ohio State. The Demon Deacons are led by senior Cory Parr, who is ranked 34th in the country.
Minnesota will play two matches on Sunday, including a contest against Binghamton at 9 a.m. The Bearcats are 4-1 overall and coached by former Gopher Adam Cohen, who played two seasons at Minnesota and won 23 singles matches for the Gophers in 1995. Cohen is in his third season at Binghamton and was last year’s America East Conference Coach of the Year. The match is a rematch of the 2003 NCAA first round that Minnesota won 4-0.
The Gophers also take on Drake on Sunday at 2 p.m. The Bulldogs enter the match with a 3-3 record and ranked 54th in the nation. Drake and Minnesota have a common opponent as the Bulldogs lost to Louisville 7-0 and the Gophers lost to the Cardinals 4-3.
Minnesota has been on a roll with a 31-5 combined record in singles matches during its first six dual matches. Sophomore Tobias Wernet is 6-0 at No. 2, while freshman Phillip Arndt has gone 6-0 at three different singles positions. Arndt has won eight straight matches entering this weekend’s competition. He also has teamed with Ishay Hadash for a 5-1 doubles record, while Wernet and Michael Sicora are also 5-1, including 4-0 at the No. 1 position.
In addition to the three Minnesota matches this weekend, Drake and Binghamton will play at the Baseline Tennis Center on Saturday at noon.
No admission is charged to attend Minnesota’s home matches. Live stats are also available at gophersports.com.
