MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin's first outdoor match since early October was a tough pill to swallow. The Badgers played fantastically against an elite No. 8 Illinois team but a string of crucial points down the stretch proved to be the deciding factor in the match. UW came up just short on Friday afternoon in those crucial moments and lost, 5-2.
 
The Badgers got out to an impressive start, winning the team doubles point against Illinois to open the match. 
 
No. 7 pair in the country seniors Chema Carranza and Joe Dodridge combined to pick up an impressive 6-3 win at the one-spot. Sophomore Daniel Soyfer and junior Osgar O'Hoisin finished it out for the Cardinal and White. The tandem came back from down 5-3 to win a magical tiebreaker to secure the team doubles point. 
 
Freshman Robert Krill was not intimidated by the highly-touted Fighting Illini and came ready to play. He won a thrilling three-set match over Caleb Chakravarthi, 6-2, 3-6, 6-0 to give the Badgers the second tally on the scoreboard. 
 
Westerman's Wing: "Another very close match. I like the way we are playing and competing. The guys are coming together and playing together which is nice to see. We are not getting rewarded with wins from our efforts recently, but our fight today will set us on the right path towards preparing for another good Big Ten opponent, Northwestern."
 
Up Next: The Badgers will take Saturday off to regroup before squaring up for a match at Northwestern at Noon on Sunday. 
 
No. 8 Illinois 5, Wisconsin 2
Friday, April 20, 2018
University of Illinois | Champaign, Ill.

SINGLES

1. Aleks Vukic (ILL) def. Daniel Soyfer (UW), 6-4, 6-4
2. Aron Hiltzik (ILL) def. Joseph Dodridge (UW), 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
3. Alex Brown (ILL) def. Chema Carranza (UW), 7-6 (10-8), 6-3
4. Alexander Kovacevic (ILL) def. Lamar Remy (UW), 6-4, 7-5
5. Zeke Clark (ILL) def. Osgar O'Hoisin (UW), 6-4, 6-2
6. Robert Krill (UW) def. Caleb Chakravarthi, 6-2, 3-6, 6-0 

DOUBLES

1. Dodridge/Carranza (UW) def. Chakravarthi/Brown (ILL), 6-3
2. O'Hoisin/Soyfer (UW) def. Vukic/Kovacevic (ILL), 7-6 (10-8)
3. Hiltzik/Clark (ILL) def. Remy/Colton (UW), 6-0