DirecTV: French Open Tennis

Posted at 8:00am -- 5/23/2010

DirecTV: French Open Tennis

From May 23 - 30, 2010, the French Open Experience includes:

Mix channel serves up to six different live matches at once.
5 court channels provide additional live coverage available in both SD and HD.
Interactive features keep track on all of the tournament action without missing a second of the match you're watching.
Interactive application available on Mix Channel, Court Channels, Tennis Channel, and ESPN2 (during their coverage of the event)
Also available on ESPN2 HD (but not Tennis Channel HD)

Video On-Demand content:
Current Year Preview
Daily Highlights Show

Channels:
Ch. 701: French Open Mix Channel
Ch. 702-707: Court Channels
Ch. 217: Tennis Channel
Ch. 209: ESPN2
Ch. 104/205: Mix Channel (French Open Mix takes over)

Written by GBMW Staff

Go Blue -- Wear Maize!

Michigan Women's Tennis: NCAA Highlights vs Ohio State

Posted at 8:00am -- 5/22/2010

Michigan Women's Tennis: NCAA Highlights vs U-Illinois Chicago

Posted at 4:00pm -- 5/21/2010

Michigan Women's Tennis: Whitney Taney Interview

Posted at 4:00pm -- 5/19/2010

Michigan Tennis: Winning the Big Ten Championship

Posted at 4:00pm -- 5/9/2010

Michigan Tennis: Evan King Interview

Posted at 4:00pm -- 5/2/2010

Michigan Tennis: Pictures of the Varsity Tennis Center

Posted at 12:00pm -- 4/8/2010











Photos by GBMW Staff

Go Blue -- Wear Maize!

Mailbag question: What is your take on adding another team to the Big Ten conference or should they?

Hello,

Have not seen your guys take on the JoePa and "needing to add another team to the Big Ten conference" and also what Delaney has said about it.

What is your take about adding another team? Do you favor it? Would it help the conference? Would we compete with the SEC now?

Also what are the bad things with adding another team if any?

Do you favor the 11 teams now and could they tweak it better? Add more weeks? Play more teams, etc.?

Interesting to hear your side of this argument that has been debated on the message boards for awhile now?

Greg

-----------------------------------

Thanks for the question.

Here is the biggest problem we see with adding a twelve team to the Big Ten conference.

If you divide conference into two divisions (such as a East / West) with Michigan State, Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan all in one division you have the biggest draws and toughest teams all beating the crap out of each other. Who are the other two teams that get placed with those four? How do you divide it fairly enough to where all the conference teams agree without feeling like they have been thrown into the tougher division?

Do you separate Ohio State and Michigan? What happens to "The Game"? If both sides agree they still want to play on the last weekend of the regular season, is it fair that they would possibly have a rematch in the conference championship game? Does it cheapen the rivalry if the regular season matchup loses its luster? There are a lot of questions, and right now nobody really knows the answers. One other thing to consider is if both Ohio State and Michigan are having good seasons -- would the loser in the conference championship game be out of the BCS? Factor into that scenario that a non-participant in the championship game could have just one loss, as with Texas and Oklahoma last year. Would the one-loss team jump over a two-loss loser of the Big Ten Championship game?

Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan are guaranteed to fill their stadiums and bring in big television ratings. This is important to the conference and to college football.

We do think that The Big Ten conference, with eleven teams, needs to come up with a way to stage a conference championship game in early December -- but there is the 12-team rule for conference championship games. One alternative is to somehow extend the season into the first week of December with bye weeks. The extra exposure is good for the conference (the Big Ten falls off the radar with its early conclusion to the schedule). The extra practices would be great for Big Ten teams as well, especailly if they are headed to bowl games. That would be a great first step to gaining on the other BCS conferences.

We think they could keep it the way it is (with 11 teams) and just play every team in the conference (Ten Big Ten games -- two non-conference games) to claim a true champion of the Big Ten conference. But money is involved, and most of the Big Ten conference teams do not like this idea because they believe they need to play easier teams to get to the magical six wins to be eligible for a bowl. Playing more games in conference would make that goal harder to achieve. Our take is that if you cannot get to .500 in conference play, you don't belong in a bowl anyway.

The logical choice, and one the Big Ten should wait for, is Notre Dame. They bring more than football to the table. They bring prestige, ratings, and a rabid national fan base. The addition of Notre Dame gives the Big Ten more national appeal beyond Michigan - Ohio State.

Since Notre Dame turned down the Big Ten before the only other teams in the area we would feel comfortable with would be Pitt, Cincinnati, and Missouri. The problems with teams such as Syracuse, Rutgers, and those type of teams people discuss are their locations. The Big Ten is a Midwest based conference and by adding another eastern team you would really stretch the boundaries of the conference.

This is more than just a football conference. Most of the conference travel is done by bus for most of the sports teams (Michigan who has twenty-five sports programs), so the desire to add a team must factor in the extra cost to each university for each sport and game.

Think of it this way: One weekend Iowa plays Ohio State in baseball, the next weekend Rutgers, the following weekend Penn State -- the travel cost, especially in these tough economic times, would really put a strain not only on the universities, but also the fan bases that would want to travel to these events. It is one thing for football and possibly basketball, but a completely different story for other sporting events.

Again we think Notre Dame is the best choice, but we're not sure they will ever want to be part of a conference in which they are not the "big fish." They would be on equal footing with Ohio State and Michigan. Do they want to admit they are on a level playing field as those teams and admit they are not elite anymore? Penn State used to be a "big fish" before they came into the Big Ten -- now they are one of the "other teams" in the Big Ten conference in most sports.

Thanks for stopping by http://gobluemichiganwolverine.blogspot.com/
If you have any questions please e-mail erocwolverine@gmail.com

Written by CoachBt and ErocWolverine

Michigan Men's Tennis: Move on to Sweet Sixteen

from MGoBlue.com
http://www.mgoblue.com/tennis-m/article.aspx?id=137294

NCAA Regional Champs! Michigan Knocks Off Texas Tech

May 11, 2008

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Event: NCAA Championship (Second Round)
Score: #16 Michigan 4, #17 Texas Tech 2
Records: U-M (20-6), TTU (20-6)
Next U-M Match: Friday, May 16 -- vs. #1 Virginia at NCAA Team Championship (Tulsa, Okla.), Noon CDT

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 16-ranked University of Michigan men's tennis team earned a monumental victory Sunday afternoon (May 11) at U-M's Varsity Tennis Center, claiming a 4-2 win over No. 17-ranked Texas Tech to advance to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1988. The Wolverines performed brilliantly in doubles to take the first team point, and then secured three of the first five singles matches completed to earn their first trip to the NCAA Team Championship under fourth-year head coach Bruce Berque. In the process, U-M achieved its second straight 20-win campaign (20-6).

With Michigan leading 3-2, junior Andrew Mazlin (Altamonte Springs, Fla./Lyman HS) completed a 6-3, 6-7(1), 6-3 triumph over Lenoir Ramos at No. 3 singles to send the Maize and Blue to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen for the first time in two decades. After struggling to capitalize on a pair of match points in the second set, Mazlin showed his toughness and earned an early break to go ahead 3-0 in the third frame. Ramos recorded a break of his own to narrow the game to 4-3, but Mazlin broke back in the ensuing game and then held serve to close out the match. Mazlin finished off the Red Raiders (20-6) with an ace, causing his Wolverine teammates to storm the court in celebration.

After dropping a tough doubles point to Western Michigan in Saturday's (May 10) opening round, U-M played perhaps its most inspired doubles play of the season against Texas Tech. Michigan's No. 38-ranked tandem of sophomore Mike Sroczynski (Chatham, N.J./Laurel Springs School) and freshman Jason Jung (Torrance, Calif./West Torrance HS) came out firing on all cylinders, cruising to an 8-1 victory over Milos Kustudija and Sinisa Markovic at No. 2. It was the Wolverine duo's team-leading 20th overall win of 2007-08 (20-9).

Sophomore George Navas (Tampa, Fla./Tampa Preparatory School) and freshman Chris Madden (Lotus, Calif./Ponderosa HS) got back on a winning track when it mattered most, recording an 8-5 decision over Ramos and Ilya Babinciuc at No. 3 to give Michigan its 17th doubles point of the season. Navas and Madden broke the Red Raider pair's serve to go up 5-4 and then took care of their three remaining service games to wrap up the big victory.

Mazlin and senior Matko Maravic (Zagreb, Croatia/V. Gimnazija) held a 5-3 advantage over Texas Tech's No. 13-ranked team of Christian Rojmar and Bojan Szumanski at No. 1 when doubles point was decided.

Sroczynski used a late surge to win his No. 4 singles match against Babinciuc, 6-2, 7-5. Sroczynski erased a 5-1 deficit in the second set, claiming six straight games to complete his fourth win in five tries at the fourth position and put the Wolverines in front 2-0.

Rojmar provided Texas Tech with its first team point with a straight-set triumph at No. 5, but Navas answered back with a clutch 6-4, 6-4 victory over Kustudija at No. 6 to give Michigan a commanding 3-1 lead. Navas is one of two Wolverines (Mazlin) to finish the NCAA Regional Championship with a 2-0 record in singles.

Jung opened up a 5-4 lead in his No. 2 match against No. 119-ranked Markovic and was just one point away from taking the first set, but Markovic won the next five points to tie the score at 5-5. The set eventually went to a tiebreaker, in which Markovic erased a 5-2 deficit by winning the final five points to take the set. Markovic used a late break to take the second set (6-4) and the match, setting the stage for Mazlin's three-set clinching victory.

Maravic was on the verge of walking off his home courts for the final time as a winner, as he held a 6-7(3), 6-3, 5-2 advantage over No. 33-ranked Szumanski at No. 1 when Mazlin blasted his serve to finish off Ramos.

The Wolverines will meet No. 1-ranked Virginia in the opening round of the NCAA Team Championship on Friday (May 16) at noon CDT. The 16-team tournament will be held Friday-Tuesday (May 16-20) at the University of Tulsa's Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Okla.
Following are match-by-match results:

Singles
No. 1 -- #64 Matko Maravic (U-M) vs. #33 Bojan Szumanski, 6-7(3), 6-3, 5-2 (unfinished)
No. 2 -- #119 Sinisa Markovic (TTU) d. Jason Jung, 7-6(5), 6-4
No. 3 -- Andrew Mazlin (U-M) d. Lenoir Ramos, 6-3, 6-7(1), 6-3
No. 4 -- Mike Sroczynski (U-M) d. Ilya Babinciuc, 6-2, 7-5
No. 5 -- Christian Rojmar (TTU) d. Chris Madden, 6-3, 6-4
No. 6 -- George Navas (U-M) d. Milos Kustudija, 6-4, 6-4

Doubles
No. 1 -- Maravic/Mazlin (U-M) vs. #13 Rojmar/Szumanski, 5-3 (unfinished)
No. 2 -- #38 Jung/Sroczynski (U-M) d. Kustudija/Markovic, 8-1
No. 3 -- Madden/Navas (U-M) d. Babinciuc/Ramos, 8-5

Order of Finish: Doubles 2-3, Singles 4-5-6-2-3

Michigan Women's Tennis: Michigan stomps Ohio State:

I usually do not post about women's tennis, but figure they need a little attention especially when you beat Ohio State.

from MGoBlue.com
http://www.mgoblue.com/tennis-w/article.aspx?id=134104

Michigan Knocks Off Ohio State for 13th Straight Win
April 18, 2008

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Score: #23 Michigan 6, Ohio State 1Records: U-M (15-4, 8-1 Big Ten), Ohio State (18-6, 5-4 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match: Sunday, April 20 -- vs. Indiana (Varsity Tennis Center), 11 a.m.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 23-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team extended its winning streak to 13 matches with an impressive 6-1 victory over No. 33-ranked Ohio State Friday (April 18) on the Varsity Tennis Center outdoor courts. The Wolverines (15-4, 8-1 Big Ten) squeezed out a tight doubles point and followed with wins on five of six singles courts to secure their fifth straight victory over the Buckeyes (18-6, 5-4 Big Ten). U-M is one win away from completing its first undefeated season at the Varsity Tennis Center since 1997 (10-0).

Ohio State struck first in doubles play, as Julie Blackmore and Cami Hubbs won five of the first seven games en route to an 8-4 victory over freshmen Whitney Taney (Edina, Minn./Edina HS) and Rika Tatsuno (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula HS) at No. 2. U-M's No. 44-ranked duo of junior Chisako Sugiyama (Parsippany, N.J./The Montclair Kimberley Academy) and sophomore Tania Mahtani (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula HS) drew the Wolverines even with a close 9-7 triumph over Angela DiPastina and Christina Keesey at No. 1. The Buckeye tandem erased a 6-2 deficit by claiming five of the next six games to tie the match at 7-7, but Sugiyama and Mahtani broke OSU's serve and then held to clinch their 11th straight win. The Michigan pair is 15-4 at the top spot and will complete a perfect Big Ten Conference season at No. 1 with a victory over Indiana on Sunday (April 20).

Trailing 4-1 to Paloma Escobedo and Caitlin O'Keefe at No. 3, junior Lindsey Howard (Richmond, Va./Mills E. Godwin HS) and freshman Denise Muresan (Lincolnshire, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson HS) battled their way back and took a 7-5 advantage. With the score knotted at 7-7, the two teams exchanged breaks to send the match to a tiebreaker, where Howard and Muresan hung tough and gutted out an 8-6 win. The Wolverine tandem has won 11 of 15 matches together in 2007-08, including five straight.

A pair of three-set singles victories propelled Michigan to a 3-0 lead. Howard got off to a slow start but showed her resiliency in a 0-6, 6-0, 6-1 win over O'Keefe at No. 6. Howard holds a 14-4 dual-match record, including a 7-2 mark against league opposition. Tatsuno's 13th straight victory -- a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 decision over Keesey at No. 5 -- brought U-M within one point of clinching its 10th home win of the season. Tatsuno carries a 21-10 overall record in 2007-08, including a dual-match mark of 14-5.

Sugiyama, ranked 49th nationally, continued her quest for an undefeated Big Ten season at No. 1 by posting a 7-5, 6-2 victory over DiPastina. Sugiyama leads the team in overall singles wins with 23 and has dropped just three of 18 matches at the top spot this season. She has not surrendered a singles set during her current 14-match winning streak.

The Wolverines were victorious in two of the three remaining matches. Muresan used a late surge to knock off Julie Blackmore by a 7-5, 7-5 score at No. 3. Muresan has also won 14 straight and remains undefeated in Big Ten play at 9-0. Taney capped off the team scoring with a solid 6-7(4), 6-4, 1-0(7) comeback win over Escobedo at No. 2. Taney has won 12 of 14 at the second position and needs just one more victory to become the third U-M freshman this year to achieve 20 wins.

Michigan closes out the regular season Sunday (April 20) with an 11 a.m. match against Indiana at the Varsity Tennis Center, with the winner earning a second-place finish in the Big Ten standings and a No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. The Wolverines will honor senior Allie Shafner (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) prior to the match against the Hoosiers.

Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- #49 Chisako Sugiyama (U-M) d. Angela DiPastina, 7-5, 6-2
No. 2 -- Whitney Taney (U-M) d. Paloma Escobedo, 6-7(4), 6-4, 1-0(7)
No. 3 -- Denise Muresan (U-M) d. Julie Blackmore, 7-5, 7-5
No. 4 -- Cami Hubbs (OSU) d. #116 Tania Mahtani, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
No. 5 -- Rika Tatsuno (U-M) d. Christina Keesey, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
No. 6 -- Lindsey Howard (U-M) d. Caitlin O'Keefe, 0-6, 6-0, 6-1

Doubles
No. 1 -- #44 Mahtani/Sugiyama (U-M) d. DiPastina/Keesey, 9-7
No. 2 -- Blackmore/Hubbs (OSU) d. Taney/Tatsuno, 8-4
No. 3 -- Howard/Muresan (U-M) d. Escobedo/O'Keefe, 9-8(6)

Order of Completion: Doubles 2-1-3, Singles 6-5-1-4-3-2