Wisconsin men’s tennis was reminded that it still has to continue improving after splitting this weekend’s matches against No. 21 Michigan and Michigan State.

Coming off two losses on the road the weekend prior, the results are a step up. But with only four matches remaining in the regular season, No. 44 Wisconsin (14-3 overall, 4-3 Big Ten) would surely like to cap off a prolific season with higher seeding in postseason tournaments.

Men’s tennis: Badgers blanked in back to back matches

The Badgers will remain at home this weekend, welcoming No. 33 Penn State Friday and No. 5 Ohio State Sunday to the Nielsen Tennis Center with a tough, hard-fought loss to Michigan in the back of their minds.

Wisconsin 7 – Michigan State 0

Friday night was a good one for the Badgers, who allowed the Spartans to take only two sets during the match.

Doubles play breezed through, with the first pairing of Josef Dodridge/Lamar Remy winning 6-1, followed by Chema Carranza/Jakhongir Jalalov taking their match 6-3.

With the doubles point secured, Wisconsin never took its foot off the pedal.

Remy, Alexander Kokorev, Osgar O’Hoisin and Carranza each won in in straight sets, while Dodridge and John Zordani each narrowly lost sets. Dodridge dropped his second set 5-7, while Zordani dropped his second 6-7 by way of a 7-5 tiebreaker.

Singles:

1. Dodridge (UW) def. Mac Roy (MSU), 6-2, 5-7, 6-2
2. Remy (UW) def. Michael Dube (MSU), 6-3, 6-2
3. Kokorev (UW) def. Jasper Koenen (MSU), 6-1, 7-5
4. O’Hoisin (UW) def. Alexander Kim (MSU), 6-2, 6-4
5. Carranza (UW) def. Billy Shisler (MSU), 6-3, 6-2
6. Zordani (UW) def. Ivan Rakic (MSU), 6-3, 6-7 (7-5), 1-0 (10-4)

Doubles:

1. Dodridge/Remy (UW) def. Roy/Dube (MSU), 6-1
2. Carranza/Jalalov (UW) def. Koenen/Shisler (MSU), 6-3
3. Mackenzie/Zordani (UW) vs. Kim/Rakic (MSU), 4-3, unfinished

Order of finish: Doubles (1, 2); Singles (5, 2, 4, 3, 1, 6)

Michigan 5 – Wisconsin 2

After handedly beating Michigan State, Wisconsin looked poised to carry its momentum into Sunday afternoon, and in many ways the team did.

After Carranza/Jalalov were quickly dispatched 6-2, Darius Mackenzie/Zordani brought the Badgers to within striking distance with a 6-3 win on court 3. But Michigan’s first doubles paring, ranked No. 73 in the country, took down Dodridge/Remy 6-4 despite their late charge.

In singles play, both Remy and Kokorev lost in straight sets. Remy’s valiant effort resulted in a narrow (6-4, 6-4) defeat to No. 81 Jathan Malik at the second spot, which marked his third appearance this season at the position, where he is 2-1.

Dodridge also hung around in his match, but ultimately fell (6-3, 0-6, 6-1) in the third set to No. 104 Alex Knight. The sophomore was not the only Badger to fall in three sets, as O’Hoisin rallied from a 4-6 first set loss to take the second 6-2, but lost the third 4-6.

Despite the bad luck up to that point in three-set matches, Carranza, after taking his first set 7-6 (7-1) and dropping the second 0-6, rallied behind his teammates cheering around his court to win the third 6-4. The win pushed the sophomore one win past O’Hoisin as the team’s leader with a 14-2 record this spring.

Mackenzie, a fellow sophomore, rounded out the afternoon with a straight-set win on court six. His (6-4, 7-6 (7-2)) victory was also his first-career Big Ten win.

Singles:

1. No. 104 Knight (MICH) def. Dodridge (UW), 6-3, 0-6, 6-1
2. No. 81 Malik (MICH) def. Remy (UW), 6-4, 6-4
3. Carter Lin (MICH) def. Kokorev (UW), 6-1, 6-2
4. Runhao Hua (MICH) def. O’Hoisin (UW), 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
5. Carranza (UW) def. Davis Crocker (MICH), 7-6 (7-1), 0-6, 6-4
6. Mackenzie (UW) def. Myles Schalet (MICH), 6-4, 7-6 (7-2)

Doubles:

1. No. 73 Knight/Hua (MICH) def. Dodridge/Remy (UW), 6-4
2. Malik/Gardiner (MICH) def. Carranza/Jalalov (UW), 6-2
3. Mackenzie/Zordani (UW) def. Schalet/Cuba (MICH), 6-3

Order of finish: Doubles (2, 3, 1); Singles (3, 2, 6, 1, 5, 4)