It was a tough weekend at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium for the UW men's tennis team as they dropped two tough matches, 4-3 against Penn State Saturday and 5-2 Sunday against Indiana. Searching for their elusive first Big Ten win, the Badgers went up early in both matches, winning two out of three doubles matches each day, but could not pull out either victory.
Saturday's loss was a heartbreaker, to say the least. After Penn State (2-2 Big Ten, 10-2 overall) battled back to tie the match at 3-3, it all came down to the match between Badger freshman Jeremy Sonkin and Nittnay Lion junior Malcolm Scatliffe. After a grueling three hours of play, Scatliffe barely came out on top, 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-3.
\We had a chance to win, but we just couldn't get it done,"" UW head coach Pat Klingelhoets said.
On Sunday, the Badgers (0-6, 6-10) had revenge on their mind against Indiana (2-2, 9-8). The day started off well in the doubles category as senior Alex Kasarov and his brother sophomore Lachezar Kasarov upset No. 56 Ryan Recht and John Stone 8-6. Junior Mark Weinig and Jeremy Sonkin followed suit with a win over Michael McCarthy and Dara McCloughlin 9-7.
The winning track continued with in singles matches, as Sonkin dominated Ryan Recht 6-0, 6-0. However, that would be the last match the Badgers would win as No. 39 Jakub Praibis and the rest of the Hoosiers proved to be too much for Wisconsin to overcome. Freshmen Felipe Bellido and sophomore Lachezar Kasarov fought to the bitter end, but it was not enough as both lost 6-4, 6-4.
Nonetheless, there are some positive things the Badgers can take away from this weekend.
""We played some good doubles,"" Klingelhoets said. ""Singles-wise, our guys are playing hard, we just have to keep plugging away.""
""We showed a lot of heart and effort today,"" freshman standout Jeremy Sonkin said.
Other positive notes taken away include the continued impressive play of the Kasarov brothers in doubles competition and the play of Sonkin, as he won both his matches on Sunday, including a drubbing in the singles department.
""Coming off a match like yesterday, going almost four hours, it's tough to come off a match like that with the drive and focus I had today,"" Sonkin said. ""My passing shots worked best for me today. He tried to force me to make good shots and fortunately I made them.""
As the Badgers head into a tough weekend road swing, they try to keep their heads up.
""It doesn't get any easier, we're just have to go in there and give it our best shot,"" Klingelhoets said.
""I think if we keep the same mentality we have, and keep the effort up, we'll start winning,"" Sonkin added.
Wisconsin will once again attempt to achieve its first Big Ten victory at Minnesota Friday before heading to Rice Saturday.
