The members of the Wisconsin men's tennis team (2-7 Big Ten, 8-12 overall) will have their work cut out for them as they seek to gain ground in the Big Ten Tournament this weekend in Champaign, Illinois.
The team is No. 10 in the Big Ten, but Coach Pat Klingelhoets said he felt the team could have obtained a much higher seed for the tournament.
\We were just points away from winning two more matches, and we could have easily been in the seventh seed and in a much better position than we are,"" Klingelhoets said. ""There's nothing we can do about it now. We've just got to get in there and do what we can.""
Coach Klingelhoets also said that one of the team's big goals for the weekend is to knock off Purdue, and that if the team performs well through the doubles and singles that it is definitely probable.
Before taking on Purdue, the Badgers must first match up against No. 7 seed Minnesota. The Badgers defeated the Golden Gophers in Minnesota in early April with a clean sweep.
The Karasov brothers, Alex and Lachezar, look to take the team far this weekend coming off their big 8-5 doubles win against the number one doubles team in the nation, hailing from Ohio State.
A strong singles performance this weekend will have to come from senior Alex Karasov, 11-10 overall and 3-7 in the Big Ten, who played a key role in the Badgers' conference win against the Gophers, knocking off Minnesota senior Adrien Debreyne 6-3, 6-2.
Freshman Jeremy Sonkin will also be one to watch, with a 15-5 record at the No. 2 singles position and an overall record of 23-12.
After the Badgers face the Golden Gophers on Thursday, they will match up against the No. 2 seed Ohio State Buckeyes.
Buckeyes sophomore Davin Mullings is the Big Ten athlete of the week coming off a 4-0 record against Michigan and Michigan State, and will prove strong opposition for a possible match-up against Karasov.
The team to beat this weekend is No. 1 seed Illinois, defending Big Ten Tournament champions for three years running.
The Fighting Illini are undefeated in the Big Ten, and 20-3 overall.
GD Jones, 20-6, and Ryler DeHeart, 31-8, both boast impressive records and will lead the way for the Illini.
If Madison can work its way past Minnesota and Ohio State, they may get a chance to knock off Purdue.
