EUGENE, Ore. — The Wisconsin men's tennis team won its first road match of the season in celebratory fashion, scoring an impressive 5-2 victory over No. 42-ranked Oregon on Friday in Eugene.
After a week off, the Badgers (5-4) looked competition-ready as they tallied a quick start against the Ducks (5-4) in doubles. Jared Pratt and Daniel Nuzhny combined for their third win of the season, finishing off Oregon's duo of Luke Vandecasteele and Jesper Klov-Nilsson in a quick 6-1 match. Not long after, Lenard Soha and Tim Dzhurinskiy Dzhurinskiy battled Ivailo Keremedchiev and Youssef Kadiri to a 6-4 win at the No. 2 position, clinching the doubles point for Wisconsin.
Up 1-0, singles play was underway. Nuzhny grabbed his second singles win of the season, defeating Oregon's Kairi at the No. 6 position 6-2, 6-4, to put Wisconsin up 2-1. Senior Sebastian Vile claimed the Badgers' third point of the match with another two-set win over No. 124-ranked Jesper Klov-Nilsson 6-4, 6-4.
Robin Parts, Dzhurinskiy and Soha were all battling it out in their third sets, trying to claim that valuable fourth point to secure the team win. Dzhurinskiy clinched the match with an exciting three-set win that included a second-set tiebreaker over Luke Vandecasteele, 2-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4, to secure the Badgers' first win of the season over a ranked opponent.
Parts gave it his all to finish his match and and won a third-set tiebreaker over Oregon's Ivailo Keremedcheiv. After he dropped the first set, Parts turned it around and came out on top 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3).
Straight from the Court
Head Coach Danny Westerman: "This was a fantastic team win for the boys. They are working so hard, buying in, and playing better every week. Happy they earned a reward tonight with a gritty win over a very good Oregon team on the road. I was proud of the mentality of each guy and the support they had for one another, regardless if they were up or down on their own court. That belief and energy helped turn around multiple sets and matches, which was key tonight."
Up Next
The Badgers conclude their West Coast weekend in Seattle versus the Washington Huskies on Sunday. First serve is at 11 a.m. CT.
Wisconsin 5, #42 Oregon 2
Singles Results
1. #81 Joshua Charlton (ORE) def. Jared Pratt (WIS) 6-2, 6-2
2. Quinn Vandecasteele (ORE) def. Lenard Soha (WIS) 7-5, 5-7, 6-2
3. Robin Parts (WIS) def. Ivailo Keremedchiev (ORE) 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3)
4. Sebastian Vile (WIS) def. #124 Jesper Klov-Nilsson (ORE) 6-4, 6-4
5. Tim Dzhurinskiy (WIS) def. Luke Vandecasteele (ORE) 2-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4
6. Daniel Nuzhny (WIS) def. Youssef Kadiri (ORE) 6-2, 6-4
Doubles Results
1. #16 Joshua Charlton/Quinn Vandecasteele (ORE) vs. Sebastian Vile/Robin Parts (WIS) 5-4, unfinished
2. Lenard Soha/Tim Dzhurinskiy (WIS) def. Ivailo Keremedchiev/Youssef Kadiri (ORE) 6-4
3. Jared Pratt/Daniel Nuzhny (WIS) def. Luke Vandecasteele/Jesper Klov-Nilsson (ORE) 6-1
Order of finish: Doubles (3, 2); Singles (1, 6, 4, 2, 5, 3)