CHICAGO, Ill. – Western Illinois men's tennis lost a pair of 7-0 decisions over the weekend in the Chicago area. The Fighting Leathernecks lost at Illinois-Chicago on Saturday (Feb. 8) and at 30th-ranked Northwestern on Sunday (Feb. 9).

In the opener versus the Flames, both the one and two singles gave UIC (1-4 overall) a run. Christoph Haertel and Mitch Granger lost by identical scores of 6-5, 6-4 in their match. The duo did pick up a number one doubles victory following a 6-5 win over Eric Pontow and Isaac Lloveras. Western's second doubles team of Max Cederkall and Brandon Meeker fell short in their match losing 6-5. Western was blanked in the third doubles 6-0 losing out on that point.

Cederkall lost his singles match 6-2, 6-2 while Meeker fell in the fourth singles 6-2, 6-0. Chris Bunch lost 6-3, 6-1 in the fifth singles, and Brett Furmanski lost 6-3, 6-1 in his singles match.

The 30th-ranked Wildcats did not give up more than two games in sweeping the Leathernecks on Sunday. Haertel lost to No. 114 (overall) ranked Sam Shropshire 6-1, 6-2. Granger fell 6-1, 6-0 in the two singles, while Cederkall lost 6-2, 6-1 in the three singles. Meeker (6-1, 6-0), Bunch (6-0, 6-1) and Furmanski (6-0, 6-0) lost their respective singles match in the four, five and six.

Western (0-4) will open Summit League play on Saturday (Feb. 15) against Omaha. The match will be played in Galesburg.

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