The University of Wisconsin men’s tennis team (10-12, 4-7 Big Ten) fell in the first round of the Big Ten Men’s Tennis Tournament Thursday afternoon.
The Badgers lost to the Minnesota Golden Gophers (16-9, 4-7) by a score of 4–0, ending their season early as the Gophers advanced to play Ohio State in the second round.
In their only previous match this season, Wisconsin lost to Minnesota 4–3 at home in early March.
Men’s tennis: Wisconsin splits home series against Northwestern, Illinois
This time around, the Badgers bowed out quickly, unable to earn a point as Minnesota won the doubles point and the first three singles matches, allowing officials to call the match early in favor of the Gophers.
Despite the score, the match was closer than it seemed as Wisconsin was leading in two of the three remaining matches when Minnesota earned the fourth and deciding point.
Sophomore Robert Krill was moments away from giving the Badgers their first point of the day, leading 7–5, 5–2 before it was halted. Freshman Jared Pratt — who had won eight straight singles matches entering the day — was also tied before being stopped.
“Tough ending for this group,” Head Coach Danny Westerman said. “Minnesota won all of the 50/50 points and moments and credit to Minnesota for earning them.”
But Westerman was optimistic speaking on his team’s season, stressing their work ethic and grit even as they failed to make it past the first round of the tournament.
“We learned a lot over the season and certainly improved as the year went on,” Westerman said. “There are a lot of positives from the year, none more important than the fact that our culture is great. Our guys work hard and compete every time out. We will get to work this summer so we can start out the fall the right way.”
Men’s tennis: Wisconsin closes out regular season with home matchups against Northwestern, Illinois
Senior Osgar O’Hoisin’s Wisconsin career came to an end with the loss, but he was awarded with Second-Team All-Big Ten honors before the match Thursday. It marked the first time O’Hoisin earned a Big Ten accolade in his four year career with the Badgers.
Sophomore Jesper Freimuth was also named as UW’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Honoree for his sportsmanship and ethical behavior, on and off the court.
With the win, Minnesota advanced to the second round where they fell to eventual Big Ten Champion The Ohio State University.
The Badgers end the season with a record of 10-12 overall and 4-7 in the Big Ten and will look to improve with a young team heading into the fall season.
