April 14, 2012
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The No. 74 Purdue men's team lost a heartbreaker to the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday at the Schwartz Tennis Center. The Boilermakers fell, 4-3, after the match was forced inside due to rain.
The match came down to the final set on the No. 6 court between Evan Hawkins and Billy Bertha. Hawkins scrapped back in the first set to win, 7-6, while Bertha controlled the second, 6-2. The Badger junior opened the third set with a break and then held on his serve to go up two games to love. Hawkins fought back to cut the deficit to 3-2. From there, each player held serve the rest of the match to make the final, 6-4.
Purdue (10-11, 2-5 Big Ten) started the day off strong in doubles by taking the point with wins at Nos. 2 and 3. Szymon Tatarczyk and Krisztian Krocsko finished first with an 8-5 win at the second spot. Pawel Poziomski and Mark Kovacs clinched the point with an 8-6 win at No. 3. Fredrik Ask and Billy Bertha, the No. 29 doubles pair in the country, won at No. 1, 8-5.
The Boilermakers built the lead to 2-0 in singles when Kovacs won at the top spot, 6-3, 6-4 over Ask. Wisconsin (10-10, 2-6) put a tally on the board with a win at No. 4. Petr Satral beat Krocsko, 6-4, 6-3. Diego Acosta finished seconds later to regain Purdue's two point lead. The freshman won at No. 3, 6-3, 6-2.
Alex Kostanov again brought the Badgers within one with a win at No. 5. He knocked off Aaron Dujovne, 6-3, 7-6 (5). Wisconsin tied the score up at three with a win at No. 2. Rod Carey outlasted Szymon Tatarczyk, 6-4, 7-5.
The Boilermakers fall to 18-55 in the series.
Purdue will be back in action on Sunday at noon to face the No. 40 Minnesota Golden Gophers. The match is scheduled to be played outdoors, but stormy weather may again force the teams inside. Live scoring will be available at PurdueSports.com.