Badgers outlast Illini in 4-3 thriller

URBANA, Ill. –  Wisconsin women’s tennis battled past Illinois on Friday night, earning a 4-3 victory. Although the teams were not originally scheduled to meet during the 13-match conference slate, Wisconsin and Illinois agreed to add the matchup as a nonconference contest.

In doubles play, Ekaterina Ivanova and Ellison Reynoldson moved into the No. 1 position and set the tone early with a 6-2 win over Bucher and Xu. The No. 2 and No. 3 pairs both battled through tight sets that went to tiebreaks, with Tianna Rangan and Kaja Jacobson finishing first to secure the doubles point for the Badgers.

Singles play opened with momentum swinging toward Illinois, as two Badgers fell to give the Illini a 2-1 advantage. Ekaterina Ivanova kept her undefeated mark at No. 2 singles intact with a key 7-5, 6-2 victory over Cooper. The match came down to three-set battles from Ellison Reynoldson and Kaede Usui, both of whom rallied back after strong second sets. Usui was the first to finish, giving Wisconsin its third point, before Reynoldson followed moments later to clinch the team victory.

Doubles 

Ekaterina Ivanova/Ellison Reynoldson def. Bucher/Xu, 6-2

Maria Sholokhova/Kaede vs. Usui Mester/Madatali, 6-6

Tianna Rangan/Kaja Jacobson def. Schaefbauer/Cooper, 7-6(7)

Singles 

Schaefbauer def. Maria Sholokhova, 6-1, 6-4 

Ekaterina Ivanova def. Cooper, 7-5, 6-4

Madatali def. Tianna Rangan, 6-4, 7-6

Ellison Reynoldson def. Xu, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3

Kaede Usui def. Isyanov, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 

Mester def. Parker Christensen, 6-1, 6-2 

Up Next: Wisconsin returns home to Nielsen Tennis Stadium for a West Coast weekend, hosting UCLA on Friday, March 6, before taking on USC on Sunday, March 8.