Bilicic, Johann Semi-Finalists at Milwaukee Tennis Classic

At the 48th Milwaukee Tennis Classic, four Huskers tallied their first wins of the fall season this past weekend. The tournament hosted players from 11 programs, with main and consolation draws for singles and doubles. NU’s Lars Johann made it to the singles quarterfinals, and paired with Henry Bilicic, the doubles semifinals. 

Although no titles were claimed, senior Bilicic, juniors Johann and Nikolay Sysoev, and redshirt freshman Colson Wells each secured their first victories of the 2024-25 season. In the doubles draw, Bilicic and Johann teamed up and took their first two matches, reaching the semifinals of the Milwaukee Tennis Classic. The Husker pair fell in a close 7-5 loss to Ohio State’s Fuchs/Carpico, who went on to win the tournament.

In the singles draw, Johann and Sysoev took their first matches in straight sets. Johann went on to the singles quarterfinals, but dropped the match to Pepperdine’s Linus Carlsson Halldin. Sysoev split his singles matches, with two straight-set wins, and two three-set losses. Wells, in his collegiate debut, fell in his first two, but bounced back going 4-0 to close his tournament singles play. Bilicic had a tough opening match, facing Notre Dame’s Chase Thompson. Bilicic fell in three sets to the Fighting Irish, who went on to take second at the tournament. The senior fought hard, but dropped his three singles matches, finding more success on the doubles court.

Up next, the Big Red head to Tulsa, Okla., on Oct. 16, to compete at the ITA Regional Championship. The tournament, held at various regional sites, will produce a total of 26 NCAA Singles Qualifiers and 13 NCAA Doubles Qualifiers. The five day tournament will be hosted by Tulsa and feature programs from the central region.

Milwaukee Tennis Classic Results
Henry Bilicic (0-3, 2-1)
9-27 Chase Thompson (Notre Dame) def. Henry Bilicic (NEB) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
9-27 Owen Megargee (Northwestern) def. Henry Bilicic (NEB) 6-1, 6-4
9-28 Jeffrey Etterbeek (Navy) def. Henry Bilicic (NEB) 7-6(3), 5-7, [10-2]

9-27 Bilicic/Johann (NEB) def. Roegner/Vazquez (Marquette) 6-1
9-28 Bilicic/Johann (NEB) def. Torres Almeida/Nguyen (DePaul) 6-3
9-28 Fuchs/Carpico (Ohio State) def. Bilicic/Johann (NEB) 7-5

Lars Johann (3-1, 2-1)
9-27 Lars Johann (NEB) def. Antonio Matteo Iaquinto (DePaul) 7-5, 6-1
9-27 Lars Johann (NEB) def. Patrik Meszaros (Wisconsin) 7-6(4), 6-2
9-28 Linus Carlsson Halldin (Pepperdine) def. Lars Johann (NEB) 6-4, 6-2
9-29 Lars Johann (NEB) def. Matthew Fullerton (Wisconsin) 4-6, 7-5, [10-5] 

9-27 Bilicic/Johann (NEB) def. Roegner/Vazquez (Marquette) 6-1
9-28 Bilicic/Johann (NEB) def. Torres Almeida/Nguyen (DePaul) 6-3
9-28 Fuchs/Carpico (Ohio State) def. Bilicic/Johann (NEB) 7-5

Nikolay Sysoev (2-2, 0-2)
9-27 Nikolay Sysoev (NEB) def. Ivan Vazquez (Marquette) 6-3, 7-6(3)
9-27 Matthew Fullerton (Wisconsin) def. Nikolay Sysoev (NEB) 6-3, 1-6, 6-1
9-28 Brandon Carpico (Ohio State) def. Nikolay Sysoev (NEB) 7-5, 3-6, [10-6]
9-29 Nikolay Sysoev (NEB) def. Ashton Adesoro (W Mich) 7-6(7), 6-2

9-27 Corwin/Dunsirn (W Mich) def. Sysoev/Wells (NEB) 7-5
9-29 Zhang/Corsillo (Notre Dame) def. Sysoev/Wells (NEB) 6-1

Colson Wells (4-2, 0-2)
9-27 Yu Zhang (Notre Dame) def. Colson Wells (NEB) 6-3, 7-6(4)
9-27 Collin Beduhn (Wisconsin) def. Colson Wells (NEB) 7-5(5), 6-3
9-28 Colson Wells (NEB) def. Mitchell Sheldon (MSU) WO
9-28 Colson Wells (NEB) def. Ivan Vazquez (Marquette) 6-2, 6-1
9-28 Colson Wells (NEB) def. Oscar Corwin (W Mich) 6-2, 3-6, [10-7]
9-29 Colson Wells (NEB) def. Solomon Dunsirn (W Mich) 6-4, 6-4

9-27 Corwin/Dunsirn (W Mich) def. Sysoev/Wells (NEB) 7-5
9-29 Zhang/Corsillo (Notre Dame) def. Sysoev/Wells (NEB) 6-1