The Wisconsin men’s tennis team sent a clear message on Sunday’s match against Purdue: they’re done leaving matches up for grabs. In one of their most controlled performances of the season, the Badgers, overpowered No. 52 Purdue 4-1, proving they’ve learned from early season missteps and aren’t afraid to take control.
Badgers show they’re done playing close
This wasn’t the same team that let Michigan walk away weeks ago or needed late-match heroics to survive at Penn State. This time, Wisconsin led from the start — and never let Purdue in the door.
From the opening point, Wisconsin looked sharper. Michael Minasyan and Patrik Meszaros tore through their doubles match 6-2, while Oliver Olsson and Tomas Zlatohlavek finished off a tight 7-5 win to take the doubles point. Wisconsin played clean and fast – the kind of doubles play Wisconsin had needed all season.
The No. 3 pairing didn’t even need to finish. Wisconsin secured the point and had momentum.
Singles
The story of the match? No doubts, no comeback needed.
Sachiv Kumar handled business with a confident 6-4, 6-4 win to double the lead. Then Edouard Aubert, in only his second match as a Badger, cruised through a straight-sets win like he’d been there all season.
When Michael Minasyan stepped up to close, he did not hesitate. His 7-5, 6-2 win over Juan David Velasquez proved that Wisconsin can finish matches now.
The only slip came at No. 4, where Tomas Zlatohlavek fell in straight sets. But by then, the match was already over– and so was Purdue’s hope of stealing anything.
Not just a win — a reset
Wisconsin now stands at 9-9 overall and 3-5 in Big Ten play, but the numbers don’t fully capture the shift. This match wasn’t just cleaner, it was colder. More calculated. And for the first time in weeks, the Badgers looked like a team not just reacting to pressure, but controlling it.
A few weeks ago, this team had a streak of letting go of winnable matches. Now? They’re putting them away before the nerves can even show up.
What’s next
With confidence building, the Badgers head to the West Coast next weekend for matchups against No. 58 Oregon and No. 47 Washington — two matches that could define the final stretch. If Wisconsin wants to shift its narrative for good, it’ll need to prove this wasn’t just a good day.
Because if this version of Wisconsin is here to stay, the Big Ten might need to start paying closer attention.
