The Wisconsin men’s tennis team could not have dreamed of better results from their weekend at the Bobby Bayliss Invitational in South Bend, Indiana, winning a total of 29 matches and only dropping seven the entire time.
Junior and Spain native, Chema Carranza, led the way for the Badgers, going undefeated and winning all four of his matches. Two of those four were played with his partner, Chase Colton, in doubles. The duo moved to 8-0 on the season and has cemented itself as one of the most dominant on the squad. Carranza was named to the All-Tournament Team after his stellar performance for his efforts all three days.
Men’s tennis: Senior John Zordani looks to lead younger teammates in 2016 through experience
Despite the quick start by Carranza, the rest of the Badgers only picked up steam as the weekend progressed. The squad battled early, winning three of their first four singles in the third sets, and pushing toward a successful finish to the Invitational.
Day two saw the unranked Badgers assert themselves against big ten opponents Penn State and Indiana, as well as the likes of Marquette and Notre Dame. In a day of singles matches, Wisconsin came away with ten wins total and seemed to separate themselves from the pack.
In his first of two triumphs in the second day of action, Alan Sweet won in straight sets, 6-3, 6-0, and set the standard early. Not to be outdone, Wisconsin’s player of the weekend, Carranza, made quick work of Notre Dame’s Jonathon Small and disposed of him in two sets while only surrendering two games.
The final day was the strongest showing of the tournament, however, as the Badgers went 7-1 in singles and a pristine 4-0 in doubles. The charge was led by Carranza again as he stuck out a three set win over Michigan’s Davis Crocker. The junior then teamed up with Colton to scorch the Louisville duo of George Hedley and Sean Donohue eight games to two.
The Badgers wrapped up the weekend at an outstanding 29-7 and set a solid precedent going forward. Head coach Danny Westerman and the squad should be in a good position as they approach the midway point in their early season tournaments.
Wisconsin takes the next week off before traveling to Columbus, Ohio for the ITA All-American Tournament on October 20th.