After trailing almost the entire meet, the Wisconsin men's tennis team rallied to defeat Notre Dame for the first time in 18 meetings 4-3 in four hours of intense play Sunday afternoon at Nielsen Tennis Stadium.
With three singles matches finished, the Badgers came from behind to level the meet at 3-all, and all eyes fell to the No. 3 singles match and freshman Patrick Pohlmann battling Notre Dame's sophomore Daniel Stahl in the third set for the deciding meet point.
""I was just so nervous,"" Pohlmann said. ""I tried to be emotional, to be loud, to be fired up, so that I don't show that I'm nervous.""
Stahl picked up an early break but Pohlmann brought the match back on serve, breaking at 5-4 to stay in it and eventually force a tiebreaker to determine the meet.
""I just couldn't believe there was one set for the match. It had already come down to 3-all, so it was definitely a long time being out there with all that pressure on,"" assistant coach Evan Austin said. ""It's a few points here and there when you go into a tiebreak like that, and I just couldn't believe it that, at 5-all in the tiebreaker, he hit that backhand winner up the line. It was gutsy, and he deserved the win, the way he stepped up right there at the end.""
Pohlmann moved up to 6-5 with a forehand winner, and finally, Stahl surrendered the match on a double fault.
""I played a bit tight today in the tiebreaker,"" Pohlmann said. ""He was tight too, and I had better solutions for the situation.""
The No. 25-ranked Irish (7-7) took the doubles point, sweeping all three matches and handing Wisconsin No. 18-ranked pair, junior Moritz Baumann and sophomore Marek Michalicka, their first loss of the season to No. 13 senior Brett Helgeson and sophomore Tyler Davis.
The duo only gave their opponents two break chances in the first games, but the Irish took both to move up 3-1 early in the match. Unable to convert their own break points, Baumann and Michalicka held serve to fall 8-6. The No. 2 pair Pohlmann and junior Luke Rassow-Kantor dropped their match 8-5, and juniors Michael Muskievicz and Michael Dierberger lost a tight tiebreak to also fall 9-8(7), ensuring the Notre Dame point. Unaccustomed to losing the doubles point, the Badgers moved into singles play trailing 0-1.
""I told the guys, ‘Listen we're good enough to win this match without the doubles point, and it's going to test us today to see how we're going to respond to losing the doubles point,'"" head coach Greg Van Emburgh said. ""They responded just like I thought they would.""
Baumann started the Badgers' comeback with a straight set victory over Notre Dame sophomore Stephen Havens, 6-4, 6-2. The No. 36 Baumann remains undefeated in singles play moving to 11-0 and collected his third Big Ten Player of the Week honor in the past month.
Sophomore Peter Marrack also contributed a point to the Badger offensive with his straight-set victory 7-5, 6-4 at No. 6 after No. 60 Michalicka upset No. 18 Brett Helgeson at No. 1. Michalicka stormed through the Irish serve to move up 5-0, before Helgeson fought through a deuce to hold only his last service game. Michalicka went on to take the match coolly with a steady second set and a score of 6-1, 6-4.
""[I] just stay solid and … basically hit every ball over the net, and let's see what the guy can do,"" Michalicka said.
It was the agonizing third-set struggle between Pohlmann and No. 122 Stahl at No. 3 that decided the match, and with his final-hour, tiebreaker victory Pohlmann improved to 5-1 his first season at UW.
""It's accurate of the talent level of our team and of the things we can accomplish this year in general. We're looking for guys to step up, and Patrick did that today,"" Van Emburgh said. ""He's only a month into his college career, and the potential he has is just unending, so it's great to see him clinch that match and get us the win.""
The men improved to 9-2 this weekend with a victory against No. 40 North Carolina State Saturday as well, putting down the Wolf Pack 5-2. The Badgers led the Pack (6-6) throughout the meet, earning the first point with a doubles sweep and adding singles wins from Baumann, Michalicka, Pohlmann and Marrack.
The Badgers open Big Ten play next weekend away with meets against Illinois and Indiana Saturday at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
