The Wisconsin Badgers (6-6, 0-4 Big Ten) men’s tennis team came out strong against the No. 17 Michigan Wolverines (9-7, 3-1 Big Ten) on Sunday, claiming the doubles point and building early momentum. But despite leading 3-1 at one stage, the Badgers were unable to hold off the Wolverines’ late surge, falling 4-3 in a closely contested match.
A strong start that should have been enough
The afternoon started with Wisconsin in control. In doubles, Oliver Olsson and Tomas Zlatohlavek made quick work of Michigan’s Gavin Young and Alex Cairo, leading to a dominant 6-1 win. Not long after, Michael Minasyan and Patrik Meszaros delivered in a tight 6-4 victory, securing the doubles point for Wisconsin. The pair of Matthew Fullerton and Edouard Aubert stood tied at 5-5 when their match was cut short, the job already done.
Wisconsin had momentum after the doubles matchups, and going into singles play, the Badgers only tightened their grip. Until they didn’t.
Badgers take command, then watch it slip away
To start singles play, Aubert barely gave Alex Cairo room to breathe, delivering a 6-3, 6-0 win. Then, No. 1, Minasyan handled Will Cooksey with precision, delivering a 6-4, 6-1 win. Wisconsin looked unstoppable.
With a 3-1 lead, all Wisconsin needed was one more singles victory to seal the match. But instead of landing the knockout punch, they hesitated. And Michigan made them pay.
At No. 2, Bjorn Swenson rallied after dropping the first set to defeat Patrik Meszaros 4-6, 6-0, 6-4, cutting Wisconsin’s lead to 3-2. Over at No. 3, Patorn Hanchaikul fought off an effort from Tomas Zlatohlavek, winning 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 to even the match at 3-3.
A brutal ending for Wisconsin
Everything now rested on No. 6 singles, where Collin Beduhn fought to save Wisconsin’s day. Unfortunately for the Badgers, Mert Oral didn’t let that happen. The Michigan player took control early and never let go, leaving Beduhn with a 6-2, 6-3 win for the Wolverines.
Michigan stunned Wisconsin, who had been in the driver’s seat for most of the afternoon.
A match that started with confidence ended in disbelief. Wisconsin had Michigan right where they wanted them and let them walk away with the win. And in a conference as competitive as the Big Ten, those losses are costly.
Now 4-4 in conference play and 8-6 overall, the Badgers find themselves at a crossroads. A win over Michigan would have provided a crucial confidence boost heading into the final stretch of the season. Instead, they head into their next battle with more questions than answers.
And things don’t get any easier from here. Next up: a test against No. 4 Ohio State, a powerhouse that won’t hesitate to punish the kind of mistakes Wisconsin made against Michigan. If the Badgers want to be taken seriously in the Big Ten, they’ll need to prove they can close out big matches.
