On Sunday afternoon, the Wisconsin men's tennis team (2-5-0 Big Ten, 4-13-0 overall) took a big step forward by beating Penn State (3-4-0 Big Ten, 11-6-0 overall). Under blue skies, the Badgers earned their second Big Ten win of the season, taking two of three doubles matches and splitting the six singles for a 4-3 win.
At the number one was the sensational combination of junior David Hippee and sophomore Alexander Kasarov. Hippee and Kasarov have combined to win 15 matches while only losing two. The dynamic duo beat Penn State's Clint Keithley and Roddy Cantey 8-4. Hippee used his blinding speed and athleticism for several nifty moves that found Keithley and Cantey with their shorts around their ankles. Kasarov, the pride of Goethe High School towered over the competition. The lanky Bulgarian rocketed his serves all day, as he and Hippee decidedly beat the Nittany Lion combo.
At the No. 2, Penn State's Malcolm Seatliffe and Brad Nudell took down Wisconsin junior Scott Green and freshman Mark Weinig by a score of 8-4. In perhaps the day's most exciting doubles match, senior captain Blake Baratz and freshman Ward Bortz rallied to beat the Lions' combination of Mark Barry and Matt Frakes by a score of 8-6. The pairing of old and young has been successful for Baratz and Wortz-the senior-frosh tandem has yet to lose a match when paired together.
In the singles, Kasarov lost to Penn State's feisty Malcolm Seatliffe 4-6, 6-4, (10-8), while his doubles partner Hippee found success against Mark Barry, winning 6-4, 7-6. Other Badgers picking up wins in the single were freshman Blake Bortz and Junior Scott Green. Bortz dominated PSU's Todd Stecko 6-1, 6-2. Green turned in an equally impressive win, beating Clint Keithley 6-4 twice.
The Badgers travel to the wrong side of Lake Michigan the weekend of April 19 to pay the Spartans and Wolverines a visit. Michigan is ranked 58th by www.itatennis.com, while Michigan State is 59th. The Badgers can draw on their team for experience, especially from Kasarov.
Like Kirk Penney in UW men's hoops, the sophomore has considerable international experience. Kasarov has appeared in eight European championships, and he even competed for the Bulgarian national team in the 1999 Davis cup. Having played at this level, Kasarov and the Badgers should be competitive with MSU and UM. Also, playing two quality opponents opens up the opportunity for Klingelhoets and company to build some confidence for the Big Ten and NCAA championships.
\A lot of variables will come into play here at the end of the season,"" Klingelhoets said.
