MADISON, Wis. — Less than a week after recording his first win as head coach at Wisconsin, Danny Westerman and the Badgers hit another milestone Wednesday night as the Wisconsin men's tennis team took down No. 34 Princeton, 4-3.

After accumulating a record of just 1-14 against ranked opponents last season, the Badgers (2-0) are off to a promising start in 2016. 

"This is a reward for all the work these guys have put in," Westerman said after the win. "I'm personally not surprised. These guys are playing really well in practice and it's great to get something early to give them that belief that they belong with NCAA tournament teams."

Wisconsin snatched the momentum early during doubles action, igniting the home crowd at Nielsen Tennis Stadium. Sophomores Josef Dodridge and Lamar Remy dominated their opponents in the No. 1 doubles spot, cruising to a 6-2 victory over Luke Gamble and Alexander Day.  

Senior Alexander Kokorev and sophomore Darius Mackenzie battled hard but couldn't fend off the No. 3 doubles team of Joshua Yablon and Thomas Colautti, falling 7-5.

The point came down to sophomore Chema Carranza and senior Jakhongir Jalalov, who made a thrilling comeback against the tough Princeton duo Diego Vives and Jimmy Wasserman at the No. 2 doubles spot. After Princeton jumped out to a comfortable lead, Carranza and Jalalov clawed their way back from the deficit to secure the doubles victory for UW in a tiebreaker, winning 10-8. 

"It's way more than just the point," Westerman said of winning the doubles matches. "It's momentum. You can go into the singles play with belief in your tennis, the court gets bigger and that energy just snowballs. Johnnie and Chema played to win at the end. We keep telling these guys to hit their best shots, believe in them, and go for it. We went out and took that breaker, which was great."

In singles play, Dodridge found success in the No. 1 singles spot yet again, defeating Thomas Colautti 6-1, 6-3. Dodridge fell behind 3-1 in the second set, but on the final five games to finish off Colautti. Alexander Kokorev kept the wins rolling for the Badgers, dispatching Alexander Day 6-4, 6-4 in the No. 2 position. Day is ranked 93rd nationally. 

"Koko is playing like a senior and taking charge," Westerman said of Kokorev, who posted a 10-2 record in the fall. "He had a hard year physically and mentally last year but he had a great fall and is really carrying it over. This will do a lot for his confidence."

Chema Carranza and newcomer Osgar O'Hoisin found themselves in close tiebreakers, but despite their grit both Badgers fell to their opponents. Princeton's Jimmy Wasserman claimed victory over Carranza 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), while O'Hoisin fell in a third set tiebreaker to Joshua Yablon, 4-6, 7-6, 1-0 (10-7). 

Darius Mackenzie clinched the win for UW after defeating Kial Kaiser 6-2, 6-4 in the fifth singles spot. Lamar Remy battled hard in the third singles position, but was bested by Diego Vives, 6-3, 7-6. 

Singles
1. Josef Dodridge (UW) def. Thomas Colautti (PU), 6-1, 6-3
2. Alexander Kokorev (UW) def. (#93) Alexander Day (PU), 6-4, 6-4
3. Diego Vives (PU) def. Lamar Remy (UW), 6-3, 7-6
4. Joshua Yablon (PU) def. Osgar O'Hoisin (UW), 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 1-0 (10-7)
5. Darius Mackenzie (UW) def. Kial Kaiser (PU), 6-2, 6-4
6. Jimmy Wasserman (PU) def. Jose Carranzza (UW), 6-4, 7-6 (7-4)


Doubles
1.    Josef Dodridge/Lamar Remy (UW) def. Day/Gamble (PU), 6-2
2.    Chema Carranza/Jakhongir Jalalov (UW) def. Vives/Wasserman (PU), 7-6 (10-8)
3.    Yablon/Colautti (PU) def. Alexander Kokorev/Darius Mackenzie (UW), 7-5