Badgers host Northern Illinois and Milwaukee for first home matches of the season

MADISON, Wis. – The first Wisconsin women’s tennis home matches will occur at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium on Thursday against both Northern Illinois (9:30 a.m. CT) and Milwaukee (1 p.m. CT).

The Badgers are now ranked No. 25 in the country in the ITA rankings, making it into the top 25 for the first time since Feb. 2020 when they were ranked No. 21.

 

Here are five things to know:

 

1. KNOW THE OPPONENTS: NIU has a record of 2-3 on the season and is coming off a 7-0 win against Eastern Illinois. The Huskies are currently on a two-match win streak after also beating Chicago State 6-1 on Jan. 27.

Milwaukee has an overall record of 2-2 and is coming off losses to both Miami (OH) and Dayton. The Panthers fell to Miami 7-0 and Dayton 5-2.

 

2.. LOOKING BACK: The Badgers are undefeated all-time against NIU, having a record of 16-0. Last time out against the Huskies, the team came away with a 7-0 win on Jan. 29, 2022. Xinyu Cai and Alina Mukhortova had standout performances that day, winning both their singles and doubles match.

Wisconsin also has a flawless (7-0) record against Milwaukee. The two sides last squared off on Jan. 26, 2018, which saw the Badgers win 5-0.

 

3. RECAPPING THE WEEK: On Saturday, Wisconsin beat SMU 4-2 behind strong performances from No. 82 Ava Markham and No. 59 Maria Sholokhova. The two knocked off No. 32 ranked Jackie Nylander and Taylor Johnson in doubles. In singles, Markham beat No. 113 Hadley Doyle, her third ranked singles win of the season. Sholokhova topped Taylor Johnson, 6-2, 6-4.

The following day the Badgers took on No. 5 ranked Duke in a hard fought battle. Despite losing 4-1, the team did not back down against one of the top teams in the nation. Xinyu Cai finished off her superb weekend, where she went 4-0 overall, after beating Iullia Bryzgalova 6-3, 6-4 in singles.

 

4. HOW TO FOLLOW: Follow along with the matches through both livestream and live stats. Also, follow the Wisconsin women’s tennis on Twitter (@BadgerWTennis) and Instagram (@badgerwtennis).

 

5. UP NEXT:  Wisconsin heads to Boise, Idaho on Saturday, Feb. 4 to face Washington at 3 p.m. (CT). On Sunday the team will also play Boise State at 11:30 a.m. (CT).