The great spectacle that is the men’s tennis regular season only lasts one more weekend for the No. 69 Badgers (2-7 Big Ten, 11-10 overall). Unfortunately for the fans, only one match will be played at home this weekend, as Wisconsin hits the road Friday to visit Iowa (0-9, 7-14) in attempt to pick up its first road win of the season.
UW comes into this match with a bit of momentum, as it ended its seven-meet losing streak against Purdue last weekend and then fell to Indiana Sunday despite playing the Hoosiers competitively for seven points. Although the Badgers have lost eight of nine meets, the Hawkeyes come into the match having dropped 13 out of their last 14 meets. Wisconsin also holds a tremendous historic advantage when playing in Iowa City, posting a 23-3 record in such games. Not to mention, the Badgers also have won eight straight meets against the Hawkeyes.
After the Badgers escape the cornfields of Iowa, they have one day to prepare for a tougher opponent in No. 62 Nebraska (2-7, 10-12). Fortunately for UW, this meet will be held in the friendly confines of Nielsen Tennis Stadium, where the Badgers own an 11-5 record.
Wisconsin has not historically played Nebraska often, as the Cornhuskers are still a relatively new member in the conference. Nebraska owns a 4-3 advantage in the teams' previous seven matchups, but the Badgers own a 2-1 advantage at Nielsen.
Fans will also have a chance to see seniors Billy Bertha and Alexander Kostanov in their final matches in Madison. Both are having great seasons, as the two have paired up to become a doubles force, entering the national rankings for the first time this season at No. 88. Kostanov has also become a singles threat this season and has improved his career singles record to a very respectable 28-30 record. He has also been solid at doubles throughout his career, posting a 30-26 mark. Bertha, who has been more of a constant starter than Kostanov, has 54-59 overall record in singles and a 69-37 mark in doubles. As of right now, Bertha, a home-grown talent from Whitefish Bay, Wis., will be best remembered for his meet-clinching match against Illinois during his freshman year to send the Badgers to their first ever Sweet 16. However, the conclusion has yet to be written for the two seniors, as they hope to make their mark even larger on the Badgers’ tennis program before they leave.
