Feb. 13, 2015
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MADISON, Wis. - The Wisconsin men's tennis team continued to show its talent and determination despite dropping its Friday night dual with No. 41 Drake at Nielsen Tennis Stadium by a score of 5-2.
"We definitely put ourselves in position to win the match," said head coach Greg Van Emburgh. "The guys are getting better and better, we just need to stay consistent the whole time in our matches."
The Badgers once again opened play with a strong showing in doubles action but could not secure the match's opening point. On doubles court 1, the UW pair of Jakhongir Jalalov and Alexander Kokorev got off to a quick start but ultimately fell to Drake's Ben Lott and Bayo Philips by a final score of 6-4.
Lamar Remy and Darius Mackenzie dropped their match 6-2 to Alen Salibasic and Ben Mullis, while the No. 48 freshmen duo of Jose Maria Martin De Oliva Carranza and Josef Dodridge was unable to finish its back-and-forth battle on court 2.
Freshmen continued to lead the way in singles play for UW, as Tomas Pitra clinched the first Wisconsin point by sweeping Drake's Ben Mullis 6-4, 6-0. In addition, Dodridge earned his second consecutive singles victory by defeating Ravi Patel, 6-2, 6-4.
In the most competitive match of the evening, Remy battled his way into a third set but fell to Matt Frost, 7-5, 5-7, 7-5. Both Mackenzie and Jalalov played back-and-forth matches lasting into the third set as well, but neither could outlast their Bulldog opponent.
Alexander Kokorev also played a tightly-contested match at No. 1 singles but was unable to pull out the victory and dropped his two sets, 7-5, 6-1.
"It was a very winnable match for us," said Van Emburgh. "The guys are realizing our potential, and our schedule is loaded with ranked teams. I'm sure this will get us ready for conference play and make us a better team in the end."
Wisconsin will return to action at Nielsen Tennis Stadium on Sunday at 10 a.m., as the Badgers host another ranked opponent in No. 29 North Carolina State.
Results - Friday, Feb. 13
No. 41 Drake def. Wisconsin, 5-2
Men's Doubles
1. Ben Lott/Bayo Philips def. Alexander Kokorev/Jakhongir Jalalov, 6-4
2. Josef Dodridge/Jose Carranza vs. Matt Frost/Ravi Patel, DNF, 3-3
3. Alen Salibasic/Ben Mullis def. Lamar Remy/Darius Mackenzie, 6-2
Men's Singles
1. No. 54 Alen Salibasic def. Alexander Kokorev, 7-5, 6-1
2. No. 32 Ben Lott def. Jakhongir Jalalov, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
3. Matt Frost def. Lamar Remy, 7-5, 5-7, 7-5
4. Josef Dodridge def. Ravi Patel, 6-2, 6-4.
5. Calum MacGeoch def. Darius Mackenzie, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
6. Tomas Pitra def. Ben Mullis, 6-4, 6-0
