MADISON, Wis. – After one of the biggest wins in program history on Friday night, Wisconsin (13-3, 4-1, opened the Nielsen outdoor courts for the first time this season, hosting No. 28 Illinois (10-9, 3-2). The 30
th-ranked Badgers came up just short, 4-2, in what turned out to a be a dual match thriller.
"Tough loss today but I was very proud of the fight in our guys," head coach
Danny Westerman said. "Most of the important points have gone our way this season but today they went Illinois way. We had match points in the doubles and in one singles spot. That two-point swing changes everything. We had about a 30-minute lull at the start of singles play but then really dug in and almost turned the match around. That is what I was most proud of. "
Wisconsin did something it hadn't all season: drop the team doubles point. An incredible streak of 15 matches with the doubles point ended. The Badgers battled hard but were outplayed late in the sets of tight games.
The No. 1 doubles pair of juniors
Chema Carranza and
Josef Dodridge were the first Badgers to fall. Carranza and Dodridge were upended by Illinois' Alex Jesse and Aleks Kovacevic, 6-3.
Junior
Lamar Remy and freshman
Chase Colton grabbed the next match from Illinois to tie the team doubles score at 1-1. Remy and Colton's superb play continues, as this was their 20
th overall win of the season. The pair boasts a 14-2 record in the dual season.
At the No. 3 position, a close match fell to Illinois – a theme present throughout the day. Senior
John Zordani and sophomore
Osgar O'Hoisin played a terrific match but lost some crucial points late in games. The duo still holds a terrific 13-4 record in the dual season.
In the singles category, Illinois struck first at the No. 6 spot. Illinois' Noe Khlif handed freshman
Daniel Soyfer a rare loss, beating the young Badger, 6-2, 6-2.
Carranza would respond at the No. 4 spot. The junior claimed his second win of the weekend – both with his mother in attendance, visiting from Montequinto, Spain. Carranza beat Julian Childers in three sets, 6-0, 2-6, 6-2. The junior has been dominant, moving to 24-6 overall this year.
The Badgers also gained the next singles point, thanks to efforts from Colton. The freshman won in straight sets 6-3, 7-5 despite gutting out a stinger he received in the second set.
But Illinois again won close matches late.
After battling back in the first and winning the second, Dodridge headed into the third tied 1-1. But the junior was broken twice in the third set and the match ended 6-7, 6-3, 6-1 in favor of Illinois' Gui Gomez.
And at the No. 1 spot, Remy and Aleks Vukic of Illinois played an incredible match. Vukic was awarded the first set 7-5 but Remy fought back with a 6-3 second-set win. After trading back-and-forth in the third set, Remy and Vukic were tied 6-6 going into the tiebreak. But the Badger let the game slip away after an early break and Vukic clinched the match for Illinois.
"We will learn from today, have a great week of practice then will be ready for another tough Big Ten road weekend."
The Badgers are back in action next weekend for Big Ten redemption against Michigan State.
| #1 SINGLES |
1 |
2 |
3 |
Notes |
| Aleks Vukic, Illinois |
7 |
3 |
7 |
Order of finish: 5 |
| Lamar Remy, Wisconsin |
5 |
6 |
6 |
|
|
| #2 SINGLES |
1 |
2 |
3 |
Notes |
| Gui Gomez, Illinois |
7 |
3 |
6 |
Order of finish: 4 |
| Josef Dodridge, Wisconsin |
6 |
6 |
1 |
|
|
| #3 SINGLES |
1 |
2 |
3 |
Notes |
| Aleks Kovacevic, Illinois |
6 |
7 |
4 |
uf |
| Osgar O'Hoisin, Wisconsin |
7 |
6 |
3 |
|
|
| #4 SINGLES |
1 |
2 |
3 |
Notes |
| Julian Childers, Illinois |
0 |
6 |
2 |
Order of finish: 2 |
| Chema Carranza, Wisconsin |
6 |
2 |
6 |
|
|
| #5 SINGLES |
1 |
2 |
3 |
Notes |
| Zeke Clark, Illinois |
3 |
5 |
|
Order of finish: 3 |
| Chase Colton, Wisconsin |
6 |
7 |
|
|
|
| #6 SINGLES |
1 |
2 |
3 |
Notes |
| Noe Khlif, Illinois |
6 |
6 |
|
Order of finish: 1 |
| Daniel Soyfer, Wisconsin |
2 |
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
| #2 DOUBLES |
1 |
2 |
3 |
Notes |
| Aleks Vukic/Vuk Budic, Illinois |
5 |
|
|
Order of finish: 2 |
| Lamar Remy/Chase Colton, Wisconsin |
7 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
