Feb. 28, 2015
Final Stats | Final Stats (PDF)
DALLAS - The Wisconsin men's tennis team began its Texas road swing by falling to No. 63 SMU Saturday afternoon, 4-1. The Badgers once again put up an impressive fight, competing on every court, but the ranked Mustangs ultimately proved too much to overcome.
UW opened the match with a competitive doubles showdown. However, the Badgers came up just short and dropped the point to SMU.
On doubles court 2, junior Jakhongir Jalalov and freshman Tomas Pitra took the contest into a tiebreak against Nate Lammons and Arkadijs Slobodkins, eventually falling by a final score of 7-6 (7-4). The SMU pair of Samm Butler and Tony Russell dispatched UW's Lamar Remy and John Zordani, 6-2, to clinch the point.
The No. 1 doubles team of Josef Dodridge and Jose Maria Martin De Oliva Carranza was unable to conclude its match, and the pair finished with a 5-5 tie against Arturs Kazijevs and Markus Kerner.
In singles play, freshman Josef Dodridge led the way for the Cardinal and White, earning his first individual win of the season at No. 1 singles and the team's only point of the dual. Dodridge swept his SMU opponent, Arturs Kazijevs, in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.
"Joe played a great match, and as a freshman, he's really been coming into his own game," said head coach Greg Van Emburgh. "It's a great start for him, and he definitely has the potential to hold down that number one spot."
On singles court 2, Jalalov dropped his match to Markus Kerner by a final score of 6-1, 6-3. Pitra additionally fell to his Mustang foe, Samm Butler, by the same score.
Remy once again went point-for-point in his singles contest on court 4, but he lost the match to Nate Lammons in straight sets, 7-5, 7-5.
Both Carranza and Darius Mackenzie were unable to finish out their matches on courts 5 and 6. Mackenzie claimed a first-set victory, 6-4, and held a single-game lead in the third and decisive set at the time of its conclusion. Carranza had tied up the second set of his match at 6-6.
"The guys competed pretty well today, and we definitely had our chances," said Van Emburgh. "We just hope to play loose tomorrow against TCU."
The Badgers will return to action in the final leg of their Texas road trip with a match against No. 15 TCU on Sunday at Noon (CT).
Results - Saturday, March 1
No. 63 SMU def. Wisconsin, 4-1
Men's Doubles
1. Josef Dodridge/Jose Carranza vs. Arturs Kazijevs/Markus Kerner, DNF, 5-5
2. Nate Lammons/Arkadijs Slobodkins def. Jakhongir Jalalov/Tomas Pitra, 7-6 (7-4)
3. Samm Butler/Tony Russell def. Lamar Remy/John Zordani, 6-2
Men's Singles
1. Josef Dodridge def. Arturs Kazijevs, 6-3, 6-3
2. Markus Kerner def. Jakhongir Jalalov, 6-1, 6-3
3. Samm Butler def. Tomas Pitra, 6-1, 6-3
4. Nate Lammons def. Lamar Remy, 7-5, 7-5
5. Darius Mackenzie vs. Arkadijs Slobodkins, DNF, 6-4, 3-6, 3-2
6. Jose Maria Martin De Oliva Carranza vs. Tony Russell, DNF, 3-6, 6-6
