Phillip Arndt and Rok Bonin posted a doubles win, but it was Minnesota's lone highlight in a 4-0 loss to Wisconsin in Friday's Big Ten men's tennis tournament quarterfinals in Bloomington, Ind.
Arndt and Bonin teamed for an 8-3 win over Chris Freeman and Luke Rassow-Kantor at No. 3 doubles. However, Wisconsin won the other two doubles contests to claim the doubles point. The Badgers also took the first set in each of the six singles matches and clinched the match with three victories.
Minnesota must now wait for an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament with a 13-10 overall record. The Gophers are ranked No. 32 in the country and all 10 losses are to teams currently ranked in the top 27 of the national rankings. Wisconsin, seeded fourth in the Big Ten, beat the fifth-seeded Gophers for the second time in less than two weeks and advanced to a semifinal showdown with top-seeded Ohio State on Saturday.
The doubles point was decided when Wisconsin's Mike Dierberger and Patrick Pohlmann edged Minnesota's Dino Bilankov and Sebastian Gallego 9-7 at No. 2. The Badgers' 14th-ranked duo of Moritz Baumann and Marek Michalicka had earlier posted an 8-2 victory over Julian Dehn and Tobias Wernet.
In singles, Freeman captured the Badgers' first victory with a 6-2, 6-2 decision over Bilankov at No. 4. Michalicka, the nation's 28th-ranked player, downed Wernet 6-1, 6-1 at No. 2 and Billy Bertha clinched the match for the Badgers by beating Brendan Ruddock 6-3, 6-3 at No. 6.
Wisconsin held first set leads in each of the other three remaining matches, though Minnesota battled back to take leads in two of the three contests. Gallego lost to 22nd-ranked Baumann 6-2 in the opening set and led 4-3 in the second set. Bonin dropped his first set to Pohlmann 6-1 and rallied to hold a 5-2 second set advantage. Arndt lost to Rassow-Kantor 6-4 in the first set and was tied 3-3 in the second set when the match was suspended.
The NCAA tournament bids and pairings will be announced on Tuesday afternoon.
#27 Wisconsin 4, #32 Minnesota 0
Apr 30, 2010 at Bloomington, Ind.
Singles
1. #22 Moritz Baumann (UW) vs. #64 Sebastian Gallego (MINN) 6-2, 3-4, unfinished
2. #28 Marek Michalicka (UW) def. #106 Tobias Wernet (MINN) 6-1, 6-1
3. Patrick Pohlmann (UW) vs. Rok Bonin (MINN) 6-1, 2-5, unfinished
4. Chris Freeman (UW) def. Dino Bilankov (MINN) 6-2, 6-2
5. Luke Rassow-Kantor (UW) vs. Phillip Arndt (MINN) 6-4, 3-3, unfinished
6. Billy Bertha (UW) def. Brendan Ruddock (MINN) 6-3, 6-3
Doubles
1. #14 Moritz Baumann/Marek Michalicka (UW) def. Julian Dehn/Tobias Wernet (MINN) 8-2
2. Mike Dierberger/Patrick Pohlmann (UW) def. Dino Bilankov/Sebastian Gallego (MINN) 9-7
3. Phillip Arndt/Rok Bonin (MINN) def. Chris Freeman/Luke Rassow-Kantor (UW) 8-3
Match Notes:
Minnesota 13-10; National ranking #32
Wisconsin 19-6; National ranking #27
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (4,2,6)
