The Wisconsin men's tennis team opened their spring schedule with a decisive 5-2 win over Northern Illinois in front of a big crowd Friday night at Nielsen Tennis Stadium. 
 
The victory marks Danny Westerman's first as the Badgers' new head coach. Westerman, a former All-Big Ten player for the Badgers, looked right at home in his debut.
 
"It definitely brought back a lot of memories and a lot of nervous energy," Westerman said. "It got my heart pumping a little bit, making sure all of the little things were in place. It's a new rhythm, new team for me so it was fun to see them in a real dual match today. 
 
"We were a little up and down. We played like it was the first match of the year. I felt like we lost a little of the aggressiveness we've had in practice and the key will be to match our practice to our match level."
 
Wisconsin took the 1-0 lead after doubles play, with both winning pairs running out to early leads. Josef Dodridge and Lamar Remy took a 5-0 lead to win their set 6-2, while Jakhongir Jalalov and Chema Carranza won their set 6-2 after a 4-0 start.
 
Alexander Kokorev and Darius Mackenzie were unable to finish their set, but were winning 5-4 after trading points with NIU. Kokorev and Mackenzie went 8-1 together during the fall season.
 
In singles play, the Badgers took four matches to secure the victory. Dodridge defeated NIU's Louis-Philippe Hamel 6-3, 6-3 at No. 1 singles. At No. 2 singles, Kokorev was also able to defeat Carlos Manzanas 6-1, 6-3.
 
Sophomore Darius Mackenzie roared back from a 3-5 deficit in his first set, winning four unanswered points to take the opening frame against Kevin Daun, 7-5. He carried that momentum into his second set, winning 6-1 and clinching the victory for Wisconsin.
 
"Darius did a great job being down 5-3 and playing pretty tentatively and then losing only one game from then on. Then for Osgar (O'Hoisin), a freshman who has been in school for four days or so, to come in and win that easily and play aggressive tennis, his style of tennis, was very impressive."
 
O'Hoisin dominated the No. 6 singles court, defeating Erich Shutte 6-1, 6-0.
 
Lamar Remy was unable to overcome Tom Hjertonsson 6-2, 7-6. Remy forced a tiebreaker in his second set, but ultimately fell 7-4. Jakhongir Jalolov was also handed an opening setback, dropping his match to Georg Lundkvist, 6-1, 6-4.
 
Friday's opener made a strong opening statement, cruising past a NIU team that went 18-6 a year ago en route to the MAC regular-season championship. Westerman couldn't say enough about spectator support to start UW's season.

"We had unbelievable support tonight," Westerman beamed. "To see so many student athletes from other teams on campus come out really showed the community we have among Badgers. We had a great crowd and there is energy around this team. I'm so excited to be a part of it." 
 
The Badgers will take the courts again on Wednesday, Jan. 27 to face Princeton. That match is free to the public and will begin at 6 p.m.
 
Results-- Friday, January 22
Wisconsin def. Northern Illinois, 5-2

Men's Doubles
1.Josef Dodridge/Lamar Remy def. Kevin Duan/Georg Lundkvist, 6-2
2.Jakhongir Jalalov/Chema Carranza def. Louis-Philippe Hamel/Tom Hjertonsson, 6-2
3.Alexander Kokorev/Darius Mackenzie vs. Carlos Manzanas/Erich Schuette, DNF 5-4
 
Men's Singles
1. Josef Dodridge def. Louis-Philippe Hamel, 6-3, 6-3
2. Alexander Kokorev def. Carlos Manzanas, 6-1, 6-3
3. Tom Hjertonsson def. Lamar Remy, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4)
4. Georg Lundkvist def. Jakhongir Jalalov, 6-1, 6-4
5. Darius Mackenzie def. Kevin Daun, 7-5, 6-1
6. Osgar O'Hoisin def. Erich Schutte, 6-1, 6-0