The final test for the Badger men's tennis team is today as seven of their players begin competition in the Wilson/ITA Midwest Regional Championships held Oct. 21-26 in Ann Arbor, Mich. Felipe Bellido and Elliott Bisnow, freshmen from Peru and Washington D.C., respectively, are competing in qualifying rounds today for eight seeds in the main draw held on Saturday. Bisnow looks to defeat Adam Ford of Northern Illinois, while Bellido takes on Tom Murphy of Dayton.
Other singles action includes senior captain Alex Kasarov and freshman Jeremy Sonkin, who previously qualified for the main draw.
Brian Ko, a walk-on freshman from New Jersey, will not be attending this year's regional competition but had a noteworthy debut last weekend at Michigan's Invitational Tournament in Ann Arbor. Ko was the only Wisconsin player to go undefeated through the tournament, and he might be someone to keep an eye on in the future.
The main doubles draw is on Friday, and the Badgers have three teams with high hopes in that competition. Alex Kasarov and his younger brother Lachezar Kasarov, both from Bulgaria, finally get their chance to receive recognition. Last year this duo couldn't compete because Lachezar, who also goes by Lance, was out most of the season due to injury. Also competing in the doubles competition is the junior team of Jordan Raemisch, from Middleton, Wis., and Mark Weinig, from Aurora, Colo., and the freshman tandem of Bisnow and Sonkin.
The Kasarov brothers are the strongest duo on the team as they try to prove themselves on Friday. Alex is the only Badger named to the 2004 All-Big Ten Team, while Lance boasted an 8-8 record last year as a freshman. Both will do their best to win and finish Alex's senior year on top. Although they have been playing together since they were kids, as most brothers do, they have not had much luck as a team in competition. In the ITA All-American tournament held in Tennessee, the Kasarovs were defeated in the qualifying round but look to improve this weekend.
\My brother and I have been playing doubles our whole lives, and we're just trying to improve on our returns right now,"" Alex said.
Having played together for so long, they might have an edge that other teams may not have.
""We don't really need to talk all the time and figure stuff out,"" Alex said. ""We already have that sense for where each other is out on the court and we can go from there.""
""I'm really looking forward to playing with my brother,"" Lance said. ""We didn't get to play together last year, and this is a big chance to prove ourselves as a doubles team.""
Lance, who seems anxious for his first Regional Tournament, smiles as he shares his dreams.
""We're going to try to get as far as we can ... try to turn ourselves into something big, something everyone can remember,"" he said.
It probably won't be easy, but the two may have that sibling magic that is commonplace in sports today.
The UW women's tennis team also competes in the ITA Midwest Regional Championships, but the women's competition is held Oct. 21-26 in Minneapolis, Minn. They have eight members heading to Minneapolis, two of whom are expected to do fairly well. Seniors Katie McGaffigan and Lindsay Martin will compete in both singles and doubles competition.
McGaffigan is ranked 42nd, while the tandem of McGaffigan and Martin is ranked 16th. Sophomore Caitlin Burke and freshman Chelsea Nusslock are also automatically qualified for the main draw singles.
Burke and Nusslock will also play in the main draw doubles tournament, as will the team of sophomore Kaylan Caiati and junior Lexi Goldin. Goldin and freshman Nicole Beck will begin the Midwest Regional Championships in the qualifying singles rounds. The alternate for the qualifying rounds is sophomore Madison Sellers. The actual tournament draws have yet to be determined.
