Box Score

MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin men's tennis team (1-17, 0-5 B1G) lost to the No. 26-ranked Illinois Illini (12-8, 3-3 B1G), 4-1, in its match Sunday, Apr. 7 inside Nielsen Tennis Stadium. Playing some of their best tennis of the season, the Badgers put up a strong fight against the Illini before ultimately coming up short in the end. 

After a delayed start, Illinois came out hot, swiftly taking the doubles point from the Badgers. Gabriel Huber/Michael Minasyan were defeated by Hunter Heck/Lucas Horve, 6-2 at match No. 1, and Jason Hildebrandt/Tomas Zlatohlavek were outlasted by Kenta Miyoshi/Mathis Debru at the No. 2 match, 6-1. 

Wisconsin entered singles play with a sense of urgency, taking the lead in many of the matches at their start. The Badgers won two of the six first sets and pushed it to seven games in two others. Beduhn was first to finish, as he rolled past his opponent, Mathis Debru, at the No. 5 match with a final score of 6-0, 6-4. Next, Fullerton fell to the No. 83-ranked Kenta Miyoshi, 7-5, 6-4, leaving four matches remaining. Hildebrandt was wrapped in a close match, both sets heading to a seven point tiebreak, but he unfortunately fell to Jeremy Zhang, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-2) in the No. 6 match for the Badgers' second singles loss of the day. With the match on the line, Minasyan, Zlatohalvek and Huber all made ther way into three sets, challenging the 26th-ranked Illini on every last point. After a back-and-forth match, Zlatohlavek lost to William Mroz at the No. 4 match, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, putting an end to the day as Illinois collected its fourth point. 

Up Next: Wisconsin heads on the road for the final time this season as it faces Purdue on Friday, Apr. 12 followed by No. 62 Indiana on Sunday, Apr. 14. First serve will be at 4 p.m. from West Lafayette, Ind. followed by an 11 a.m. match from Bloomington, Ind. 

University of Illinois 4, University of Wisconsin 1

Singles Results

1. Michael Minasyan (WIS) vs. No. 34 Hunter Heck (ILL) 2-6, 6-2, 3-5 DNF

2. Gabriel Huber (WIS) vs. Alex Petrov (ILL) 6-3, 3-6, 2-3 DNF

3. No. 83 Kenta Miyoshi (ILL) def. Matthew Fullerton (WIS) 7-5, 6-4

4. William Mroz (ILL) def. Tomas Zlatohlavek (WIS) 7-5, 4-6, 6-3

5. Collin Beduhn (WIS) def. Mathis Debru (ILL) 6-0, 6-4

6. Jeremy Zhang (ILL) def. Jason Hildebrandt (WIS) 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-2)

Doubles Results

1. Hunter Heck/Lucas Horve (ILL) def. Gabriel Huber/Michael Minasyan (WIS) 6-2 

2. Kenta Miyoshi/Mathis Debru (ILL) def. Jason Hildebrandt/Tomas Zlatohlavek (WIS) 6-1

3. Collin Beduhn/Matthew Fullerton (WIS) vs. Alex Petrov/William Mroz (ILL) 2-5 DNF

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