Schaefbauer Earns Top-15 Upset as Illini Come Up Short

URBANA, Ill. – Fighting Illini senior McKenna Schaefbauer earned a straight-set upset of the No. 14 ranked singles player but Illinois women's tennis fell, 4-3, to No. 35 Wisconsin Friday night. The nonconference action took place from Atkins Tennis Center. 

Illinois moved to 3-6 on the season while Wisconsin improved to 7-2 overall. As the Illini and Badgers were not scheduled to face each other during the 13-match Big Ten slate, the sides opted to meet in Friday's out-of-conference match.

Wisconsin got on the board first, claiming the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and 3, respectively. Action at both No. 2 and No. 3 doubles went into tiebreakers with the former going unfinished.

Illinois answered with back-to-back singles wins to take a 2-1 lead. Cara Mester was the first off the courts with a 6-1, 6-2 victory at No. 6, improving to 8-3 on the season and 2-1 in dual play.

No. 84-ranked McKenna Schaefbauer was next off the courts with a massive straight-set upset of No. 14 Maria Sholokhova at No. 1 singles. Schaefbauer cruised to a 6-1 first set win before the sides stayed even out to 4-4 before the Illini senior broke to go up 5-4 and then earned the win on her serve. The Normal, Ill. native collected the highest-ranked win of her career and ninth ranked win overall. Schaefbauer is up to a 14-4 record on the season and owns a 5-2 reading in dual matches.

The Badgers answered back, tying the match at 2-2 with the decision at No. 2 singles. 

From there, Illini sophomore Ariel Madatali secured a 6-4, 7-6(4) win at No. 3 singles to put Illinois back in the lead at 3-2. In the first frame, Madatali trailed 4-3 before winning the final three games for the 6-4 decision. Madatali trailed 5-4 and 6-5 late in set two before coming back to win the frame 7-4 in a breaker. The St. Louis, Mo., native is now 11-8 overall on the season and 4-3 in dual play.

Illinois claimed five of the six first sets of play while the Illini and Badgers split the second sets, 3-3. Wisconsin would win both third set decisions.

NEXT UP

Following Friday's action, head coach Evan Clark's crew will open Big Ten play with road matches at Nebraska and at Iowa on March 6 and 8, respectively. 

NO. 35 WISCONSIN (7-2) 4, ILLINOIS (3-6) 3

Doubles:
1 - Reynoldson/Ivanova (UW) def. No. 69 Tess Bucher/Alice Xu (Illinois) - 6-2
2 - Ariel Madatali/Cara Mester (Illinois) vs. Sholokhova/Usui (UW) - 6-6 (7-7), unfinished
3 - McKenna Schaefbauer/Kimiko Cooper (Illinois) vs. Rangan/Jacobson (UW) - 7-6(7)

Order of finish: 1, 3

Singles: 
1 - No. 84 McKenna Schaefbauer (Illinois) def. No. 14 Maria Sholokhova (UW) - 6-1, 6-4
2 - No. 47 Ekaterina Ivanova (UW) def. Kimiko Cooper (Illinois) - 7-5, 6-2
3 - Ariel Madatali (Illinois) def. Tianna Rangan (UW) - 6-4, 7-6(4)
4 - Ellison Reynoldson (UW) def. Alice Xu (Illinois) - 1-6, 7-5, 6-3
5 - Kaede Usui (UW) def. Lizzie Isyanov (Illinois) - 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
6 - Cara Mester (Illinois) def. Parker Christensen (UW) - 6-3, 6-2

Order of finish: 6, 1, 2, 3, 5, 4

Duration: 3:12
Attendance: 205