MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin men's tennis team made their season debut Friday night at Nielsen Tennis Stadium, hosting DePaul. The Badgers (1-0) started the season off on a high note taking down the Blue Demons, 6-1, after edging them 4-3 during the 2022 season. 

Seniors Robin Parts and Sebastian Vile got things started for UW on the doubles front. The duo dominated their No. 2 match, taking down DePaul's Leon Huck and Jona Gitschel by a score of 6-2. They were followed very shortly by a pair of graduate students, Jared Pratt and Jason Hildebrandt, who secured the doubles point for Wisconsin with a 6-3 win over Shourya Verma and Pablo Almeida at No. 3 doubles. 

Up 1-0, Wisconsin carried the doubles momentum into the singles competition, with each Badger player winning their first set.

Junior Mihailo Popovic set the standard, sweeping his competition, Aleksa Krivokapic, 6-0, 6-0 to put Wisconsin ahead by two at the No. 2 singles spot. The quick two-set blowout was Popovic's largest margin of victory since a 6-1, 6-3 win over Iowa's Peter Alam during his freshman season (2020-21). 

Next came Parts (No. 6) and Minasyan (No. 5) each with a two-set victory. Parts swiftly took the first set 6-2 before replicating his performance in the second to take the win 6-2, 6-2 over Almeida. Minasyan clinched the Wisconsin team victory with the freshman's first regular-season singles win, an exciting 6-1, 6-1 rout of Sven Moser. 

At No. 6 singles, Vile rallied his way against a relentless Huck in the second set after taking the first 6-3. After losing a deuce point that would've won the match, Vile worked to a 6-3, 6-2 win, increasing the Badger lead to 5-0. 

Crowding around Court 6, the whole team cheered on Huber in a thrilling third-set tiebreaker. After taking the first set 6-4, DePaul's Matteo Iaquinto fought back to win the second 6-2, forcing a tiebreaker. Dropping the second set didn't deter Huber though, who convincingly won the match 6-4, 2-6 (10-3). 

Up Next
The Badgers will be back on the courts Saturday evening when they take on the Princeton Tigers at 5 p.m  at Nielsen Tennis Stadium. 

Wisconsin 6, DePaul 1
Singles Results
1. Marino Jakic (DP) def. Jared Pratt (WIS) 2-6, 6-3 (10-6)
2. Mihailo Popovic (WIS) def. Aleksa Krivokapic (DP) 6-0, 6-0
3. Gabriel Huber (WIS) def. Matteo Iaquinto (DP) 6-4, 2-6 (10-3)
4. Sebastian Vile (WIS) def. Leon Huck (DP) 6-3, 6-2
5. Michael Minasyan (WIS) def. Sven Moser (DP) 6-1, 6-1
6. Robin Parts (WIS) def. Pablo Almeida (DP) 6-2, 6-2

Doubles Results
1. Gabriel Huber/Michael Minasyan (WIS) vs. Marino Jakic/Aleksa Krivokapic (DP) 5-2 (unfinished)
2. Sebastian Vile/Robin Parts (WIS) def. Leon Huck/Jona Gitschel (DP) 6-2
3. Jared Pratt/Jason Hildebrandt (WIS) def. Shourya Verma/Pablo Almeida (DP) 6-3

Order of finish: Doubles (2, 3); Singles (2, 5, 6, 4, 1, 3)