MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin men’s tennis team is onto their second weekend of Big Ten Conference play, taking a road trip to play a pair of matches at No. 73 Penn State and No. 2 Ohio State. The Badgers (8-6, 1-1 B1G) take on the Nittany Lions (13-6, 0-2 B1G) on Friday at 5 p.m. CT from Sarni Tennis Center in University Park, Pennsylvania. On Sunday, Wisconsin faces its toughest competition of the season as it takes on the Buckeyes (19-2, 2-0 B1G) on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT from Ty Tucker Tennis Center in Columbus, Ohio.
Here are five things you should know before this weekend’s matches:
1. B1G Beginnings: The Badgers had a tough Big Ten opening weekend this season, hosting No. 5 Michigan and No. 74 Michigan State at Nielsen. Wisconsin put up a heck of a fight versus both teams, coming away with a split weekend going 1-1. Against Michigan, UW put on a show in doubles play, picking up the first point of the match after wins at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles. They ultimately went on to lose to the Wolverines, 5-2, but not without giving them some tough competition. Wisconsin continued their doubles success streak against Michigan State, earning its sixth doubles point in a row and its 12th of the season. The Badgers played their way to a 5-2 win over the Spartans, putting them at 1-1 in Big Ten play.
2. Mighty Minasyan: Michael Minasyan, the feisty freshman, had impressive success in singles play last weekend. He recorded a pair of quick two-set victories in his matches with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) win over Michigan’s Bjorn Swenson at No. 6 singles and a 6-4, 6-4 win over Michigan State’s Graydon Lair at No. 5 singles. Minasyan was the lone Badger to walk away from the match against Michigan with a singles win, leaving him undefeated in Big Ten singles play so far this season and earning him the first two conference wins of his career. Minasyan has won nine total singles matches this season, the second highest of the team, and has played the entire season with partner Gabriel Huber at No. 1 doubles.
3. Know the Opponents: The Penn State Nittany Lions are 13-6 overall and 0-2 in Big Ten play. The No. 73-ranked team in the country is coming off of two 4-0 losses to No. 21 Illinois and No. 23 Northwestern but has also tallied five shutout wins so far this season. Penn State and Wisconsin have had two common opponents thus far in…
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