MADISON, Wis. – The No. 47 Wisconsin men's tennis team opened Friday's match against the No. 39 Penn State in exciting fashion, but couldn't finish what they started, falling 4-2 to the Nittany Lions.  
 
"We always fight hard, but I felt that after the doubles point we didn't carry the momentum," said head coach Danny Westerman. "We gave too many points away."
 
The Badgers (14-5, 4-4 Big Ten) fought tooth and nail in doubles play, with all three courts forcing a tiebreaker at 6-6 apiece. Sophomore Darius Mackenzie and junior John Zordani finished first, defeating Aws Laaribi and Constant De La Bassetiere, 7-6 (7-4). 
 
Senior Jakhongir Jalalov and sophomore Chema Carranza clinched the overall doubles point, defeating PSU's Matt Barry and Leonard Stakhovsky, 7-6 (7-3), and improving their record as a duo to 12-3 this spring. 
 
The Badgers went into singles play fired up and confident, but losing all six first sets caught up to them and ultimately cost them the match. 
  
"When you lose all first sets, you kind of waste the doubles point," Westerman said. "You always want to play well, but you have to play hard first and capitalize on some opportunities."
 
Though Penn State quickly swept all three backcourts, the front three put up a fight, clawing their way to third sets. Sophomore Lamar Remy tallied Wisconsin's second point of the night, coming back from losing his first set to force a third, defeating Leonard Stakhovsky, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4. 
 
"Lamar has put in the time," Westerman said of the sophomore's play. "He adjusted the strategy and he did it by himself, I can't take any credit for it. He showed a lot of poise out there to play a different style and turn that match around."
 
Despite the loss, the Badgers are focusing on their next test, hosting No. 3 Ohio State this Sunday. As the final home match of the season, Wisconsin will also honor its two seniors, Jakhongir Jalalov and Alexander Kokorev, with a short pregame ceremony. 
 
"Hopefully we can give them a heck of a fight," said Westerman. "We're at home and it should be a beautiful day on Sunday, so we'll get a good sweat and hopefully compete well."
 
Match time for Sunday is set for noon, with all games being played on the outdoor courts at Nielsen Tennis Stadium. Admission is free to the public. 
 
Results – Apr. 15
MEN'S SINGLES:
1. Josef Dodridge (UW) vs. Constant De La Bassetiere (PSU), 3-6, 6-3, 3-4, unfinished
2. Lamar Remy (UW) def. Leonard Stakhovsky (PSU), 2-6, 6-1, 6-4
3. Matt Barry (PSU) def. Chema Carranza (UW), 6-3, 4-6, 6-1
4. Tomas Hanzlik (PSU) def. Osgar O'Hoisin (UW), 6-3, 6-0
5. Aws Laaribi (PSU) def. Darius Mackenzie (UW), 6-3, 6-1
6. Ben Lieb (PSU) def. John Zordani (UW), 6-4, 6-1
 
MEN'S DOUBLES:
1. Josef Dodridge/Lamar Remy (UW) vs. David Kohan/Christian Lutschaunig (PSU), 6-6, unfinished
2. Jakhongir Jalalov/Chema Carranza (UW) def. Matt Barry/Leonard Stakhovsky (PSU), 7-6 (7-3)
3. Darius Mackenzie/John Zordani (UW) def. Aws Laaribi/Constant De La Bassetiere (PSU), 7-6 (7-4)
 
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (4,5,6,2,3)