Feb. 6, 2010

MADISON, Wis. - The Wisconsin men's tennis team swept two dual matches Saturday afternoon, going 4-0 against No. 69 SMU and stomping Illinois-Chicago 6-1.

The Badgers opened against SMU, defeating the Mustangs 4-0 in the first of two dual matches held at Nielsen Tennis Stadium on Saturday.

"The guys that haven't won bigger matches really came through today," said UW Head Coach Greg Van Emburgh. "I think they played really competitive and were really a force for us today.

"All the guys, when you put them out there in those positions, you know what they can do. They just lived up to my expectations today."

Wisconsin got off to a quick lead, winning all three doubles matches. Sophomore Patrick Pohlmann teamed up with freshman Chris Freeman at the No. 1 position to defeat Bryan Griffin and Tobias Flood in a swift 8-2 match.

Seniors Michael Dierberger and Luke Rassow-Kantor defeated Darren Walsh and Adham el-Effendi 8-4.
With senior Moritz Baumann sitting out for the day, junior Marek Michalicka partnered with freshman Billy Bertha at the No.3 position to pull out a close 8-6 win over SMU.

In singles, Dierberger finished first for the Badgers, easily defeating el-Effendi in a short 6-0, 6-4 match at the No. 6 position.

Playing third for UW was freshman Chris Freeman who dug deep to win a tight 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 match over Walsh.  The freshman pulled out straight winners in the last game to claim his victory.

"It's the player I know Chris is and he really showed it today," said Van Emburgh. "The kid he played is a solid player... and for Chris to beat him in straight sets and take it to him, that showed a lot. That's exactly what we're looking for from him."

Rassow-Kantor added another win for the Badgers as he won 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 over Chris Hooshyar.

Although Michalicka, Pohlmann and Bertha battled through singles play, their matches were declared unfinished since Wisconsin already won the four points required to claim a victory.

An early ending to these singles matches ensured the Badgers were well-rested to face Illinois-Chicago. The Badgers opened the afternoon claiming three strong doubles wins under their belt.

Pohlmann and Freeman paired up again to defeat Luis Gonzaga and Scott Shepardson 8-4. Dierberger and Rassow-Kantor stepped up at the No. 2 position, winning 8-3 over Sebastian Lystad and Nate Kirk, while Michalicka and Bertha teamed up again to win 8-5 over Dave Robare and Nicolas Ospina.

On the singles side, Michalicka didn't drop a game at the No. 1 position, going 6-0, 6-0 over Bastian Harbo. Bertha split sets against Gonzaga but ended up winning the third-set tiebreaker, 10-2.

Newcomer Ricardo Martin won his first set in a 7-4 tiebreak only to drop the second set 5-7. Despite the long rallies the Badger lost the match 10-4 in a third-set tiebreaker.

UW also had distinctive wins from Freeman, Rassow-Kantor and Dierberger which led Wisconsin to a 6-1 win over Illinois-Chicago.

"I think this should really put us feeling good about what our ranking is, what our record is, and really have a lot of confidence going into the rest of the season," Van Emburgh said.

The Badgers are back in action in less than a week when they host No. 66-ranked Nebraska on Thursday, Feb. 11 at 4 p.m.

"For Thursday, I think the guys are really mentally ready for a very competitive match and looking forward to the challenge," said Van Emburgh.

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By Megan Kelley
Wisconsin Athletic Communications

Tennis Match Results
Southern Methodist University vs Wisconsin
Feb 06, 2010 at Nielsen Tennis Stadium
(Madison, Wis.)

#25 Wisconsin 4, #69 Southern Methodist University 0
Singles competition
1. #20 Marek Michalicka (WIS) vs. #71 Artem Baradach (SMU) 6-7 (6-8), 6-5, unfinished
2. Patrick Pohlmann (WIS) vs. David Costa (SMU) 6-7 (7-9), 4-4, unfinished
3. Chris Freeman (WIS) def. Darren Walsh (SMU) 7-6 (7-5), 7-5
4. Billy Bertha (WIS) vs. Pablo Perez (SMU) 7-6 (7-5), 5-4, unfinished
5. Luke Rassow-Kantor (WIS) def. Chris Hooshyar (SMU) 7-6 (7-5), 6-2
6. Michael Dierberger (WIS) def. Adham el-Effendi (SMU) 6-0, 6-4

Doubles competition
1. Patrick Pohlmann/Chris Freeman (WIS) def. Bryan Griffin/Tobias Flood (SMU) 8-2
2. Michael Dierberger/Luke Rassow-Kantor (WIS) def. Darren Walsh/Adham el-Effendi (SMU) 8-4
3. Marek Michalicka/Billy Bertha (WIS) def. Artem Baradach/Chris Hooshyar (SMU) 8-6

Match Notes:
Southern Methodist University 3-2; National ranking #69
Wisconsin 4-1; National ranking #25; Regional ranking #3
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (6,3,5)

#25 Wisconsin 6, Illinois-Chicago 1
Singles competition
1. #20 Marek Michalicka (WIS) def. Bastian Harbo (ILC) 6-0, 6-0
2. Chris Freeman (WIS) def. Sebastian Lystad (ILC) 6-2, 6-3
3. Billy Bertha (WIS) def. Luis Gonzaga (ILC) 6-2, 3-6, 10-2
4. Luke Rassow-Kantor (WIS) def. Nate Kirk (ILC) 6-1, 6-2
5. Dave Robare (ILC) def. Ricardo Martin (WIS) 7-6 (7-4), 5-7, 10-4
6. Michael Dierberger (WIS) def. Nicolas Ospina (ILC) 6-1, 6-1

Doubles competition
1. Patrick Pohlmann/Chris Freeman (WIS) def. Luis Gonzaga/Scott Shepardson (ILC) 8-4
2. Michael Dierberger/Luke Rassow-Kantor (WIS) def. Sebastian Lystad/Nate Kirk (ILC) 8-3
3. Billy Bertha/Marek Michalicka (WIS) def. Dave Robare/Nicolas Ospina (ILC) 8-5

Match Notes:
Illinois-Chicago 2-4
Wisconsin 5-1; National ranking #25; Regional ranking #3
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (4,1,6,2,3,5)