In sports, the score is supposed to tell the story. Sometimes, it just doesn’t. The Wisconsin Badgers men’s tennis team fell 4-0 to No. 21 UCLA on Friday and 4-1 to No. 26 USC on Sunday, two matches that could’ve ended in quiet exits.
On paper, that’s how Wisconsin closed its season. But anyone who watched these matches knows that the result doesn’t tell the whole story. They saw the tiebreaks, the comebacks and the grit the Badgers showed on Sunday.
While Wisconsin didn’t walk off the court with a trophy, they walked off having earned the right to say they never gave up.
When results aren’t the measure
Wisconsin opened doubles play against UCLA with electricity. Oliver Olsson and Tomas Zlatohlavek won at the No. 1 spot.
In singles play, Michael Minasyan fought back from a set down against the nation’s No.23 ranked player, Rudy Quan.
While Matthew Fullerton took over the game at first set on his court, it wasn’t enough to win the match. But Fullerton showed that the Badgers belonged in it and wouldn’t give up easily.
Sunday’s fight: Not for rankings, but for respect
On Sunday, the postseason window had already closed. Wisconsin had nothing to gain in the standings, but they had everything to prove to themselves.
Minasyan, steady all year, pushed No. 17 Peter Makk into a third set before the match was called. Edouard Aubert was up in his own third-set battle.
And then there was Patrik Meszaros.
In his final regular season match, the freshman fought through a grueling three-set battle and came out on top. His 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 win marked Meszaros’ 20th victory of the season, tying for seventh most freshman wins in program history.
That number means something, not just for the record books, but for a season where so many matches came down to who could outlast the pressure. Meszaros didn’t just survive — he delivered. And in a year where results often slipped away in the third set, he didn’t.
It was the kind of ending every player hopes for: not perfect, but earned.
Participation isn’t just showing up
For the Badgers, participating meant more than just lacing up their shoes. It meant showing up repeatedly, even when the results didn’t come.
They participated in every way that mattered. In every tiebreak, every third set, every match that was “already lost,” but not yet finished.
Season measured differently
Wisconsin closes its regular season 9-12 overall, 3-10 in Big Ten conference play. It’s not a record that turns heads, but the Badgers never played just for the numbers. They played to compete and to prove they could still belong in the same conversation as the nation’s best.
And sometimes, that’s enough.
While the season didn’t end the way they wanted, it might be the beginning the Badgers needed. This finale wasn’t just a conclusion. It was a foundation. And from here, they don’t start over — they start stronger.
