MADISON, Wis. – The Illinois Fighting Illini held an early lead at No. 30 Wisconsin on Sunday but the Badgers would claim the final three singles decisions to secure the 4-2 win. The Fighting Illini finish the split weekend with a 1-1 record.
No. 32 Illinois moves to 13-7 on the season and 5-2 in league play with Sunday’s loss at No. 30 Wisconsin.
Wisconsin is now 16-2 on the season and 7-0 in Big Ten play. The Badgers have won 13 straight matches while holding a perfect 9-0 record on their home courts.
The Fighting Illini have claimed the doubles point in 12 matches this season including five Big Ten outings.
Kida Ferrari and Josie Frazier were the first Illini duo off the doubles courts after earning a 6-4 win at No. 2. The tandem trailed 3-4 before winning the final three games and are now 5-3 in dual play and 4-1 in Big Ten matches.
McKenna Schaefbauer and Kasia Treiber earned a 7-5 victory at No. 3 doubles to clinch the opening point for Illinois. The Illini duo is now 6-1 overall with all seven decisions coming in Big Ten play.
Illinois would claim four of the opening singles sets.
Wisconsin got on the board with the first singles decision to even the match at 1-1. Illinois’ Megan Heuser fell to No. 78 Sholokhova at No. 1 singles.
Not long after, Ferrari earned a three-set victory at No. 5 singles. The junior won 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 and is now 9-3 in dual matches this season and 3-1 in Big Ten outings.
From there, the Badgers rattled off three consecutive singles victories, at No. 4, 2, 3, respectively, to earn the 4-2 win.
Next weekend, Illinois hosts its final matches of the season as Indiana visits for a 3 p.m. tilt on Friday before Purdue comes to town for Sunday’s 12 p.m. showdown. Sunday’s contest will also be Illinois’ senior day.
FULL RESULTS: NO. 32 ILLINOIS 2, NO. 30 WISCONSIN 4
Doubles:
No. 1 – Megan Heuser/Alice Xu vs. Sholokhova/Cai (WIS) – 5-5, unfinished
No. 2 – Kida Ferrari/Josie Frazier def. Garcia Gross/Cataldi (WIS) – 6-4
No. 3 – McKenna Schaefbauer/Kasia Treiber def. Johnson/Reynoldson (WIS) – 7-5
Singles:
No. 1 – No. 78 Maria Sholokhova (WIS) def. Megan Heuser – 6-4, 6-4
No. 2 – Taylor Cataldi (WIS) def. McKenna Schaefbauer – 2-6, 6-3, 7-5
No. 3 – Xinyu Cai (WIS) def. Josie Frazier – 7-5, 7-5
No. 4 – Ariel Johnson (WIS) def. Kasia Treiber – 5-7, 6-2,…
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