In its Big Ten season finale Friday, the Wisconsin men’s tennis team (8-13, 2-8 Big Ten) suffered a 5-2 defeat to No. 24 Ohio State (17-6, 8-1) at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium. After dropping the early doubles point, the Badgers were able to win only two of six singles matches against the adept Buckeye lineup.

Despite the scoreline, head coach Pat Klingelhoets was not disappointed with his teams’ play, and was instead pleased by the hard work displayed.

“I thought we played okay,” Klingelhoets said. “[Ohio State’s] a better team than we are and all of their guys were ready to play. Even though we were only able to get a couple of [matches], I thought the efforts were there.”

Ohio State grabbed an early lead in the match by winning the No. 2 doubles match 8-3, and then claiming an 8-5 victory at the No. 3 doubles spot. Despite having already lost the doubles point, Wisconsin’s No. 1 tandem of Alex and Lachezar Kasarov provided fans with one of the most entertaining matches of the season. The Bulgarian brothers defeated the No. 1 doubles team in the nation in an exhilarating 9-8(5) tiebreaker victory over Ohio State’s Scott Green and Ross Wilson.

“That was a great match — one of the better doubles matches I’ve seen all year,” Klingelhoets said of the upset. “There were no service breaks and it was just a good, tough match, a great match to watch.”

The upset marked the last doubles match at Nielsen Tennis Stadium for Wisconsin’s sole senior, Alex Kasarov. Following the match, the humble Kasarov expressed his thoughts on the victory with reference to the team’s overall performance.

“I was happy that we won, but it’s just another match and it didn’t really matter because we didn’t get the doubles point,” Kasarov said. “It was just a win for me and my brother, but individual results don’t really matter when the team’s not winning.”

In singles action, Ohio State was victorious in the first four matches, with Wisconsin freshman Brian Ko losing first to Ross Wilson at the No. 5 position 6-1, 6-4. At the No. 3 spot, Ohio State’s No. 67 Joey Atlas defeated sophomore Lachezar Kasarov 6-3, 6-4.

The Buckeyes clinched the match with a victory at the No. 6 spot when Wisconsin junior Mark Weinig lost to Dennis Mertens 6-4, 6-4. Wisconsin’s senior captain Alex Kasarov also lost 6-4, 6-4, when he was taken down by No. 57 Devin Mullings at the No. 1 position. The victory for Mullings continued his win streak, tallying his consecutive total to 14 wins.

In the No. 4 singles match, Wisconsin freshman Felipe Bellido won his third match in a row with a 0-6, 7-6(3), 1-0(9) comeback victory over Scott Green. Coach Klingelhoets praised the young freshman’s relentless playing style.

“He’s a scrappy guy,” Klingelhoets said of Bellido. “He’s just been in so many of these tie-breakers and he usually somehow finds a way to pull them out. I’ve got a lot of confidence in him when he gets in those situations because he’s a pretty clutch player.”

The match concluded following a marathon battle between Wisconsin freshman Jeremy Sonkin and Chris Klingemann at the No. 2 position. In a barnburner of a match, Sonkin prevailed with a 7-6(6), 6-4 victory, bringing his record to an impressive 15-5 (7-3 Big Ten).

“Jeremy’s match was one of the best matches I’ve seen all year,” Klingelhoets said. “Their first set lasted an hour and fifteen minutes, and every game and every point was contested … it was a tough matchup, and those guys both battled their butts off.”

Following the loss, the Badgers are looking forward to traveling to Champaign, Ill. for the Big Ten Championship, which will be held April 28 through May 1. Senior captain Alex Kasarov is diligently preparing for the tournament, and is hoping to end his career on a high note.

“We just have to stay positive no matter what,” Kasarov said. “We have to keep working hard for the next couple of days and get ready for the Big Ten tournament. Whoever we play, we just have to come out ready and hopefully we can put a couple of wins together down there.”