(UW ATHLETICS) STARKVILLE, MS –
STARKVILLE, Miss. – The No. 33 Wisconsin men’s tennis team earned a dominant 4-1 victory over No. 71 Samford in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Starkville, Miss. Samford claimed a close doubles point to start the match, but Wisconsin stormed all the way back in singles play with wins at No. 2, No. 3, No. 5 and No. 6. The win was the Badgers sixth all-time in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2017.
Samford took a victory at No. 1 doubles, but Wisconsin’s No. 3 duo of Matthew Fullerton and Patrik Meszaros earned a 7-6 (9-7) win to even the scores. With the doubles point coming down to the match at No. 2, the Bulldogs’ pair was able to secure the 1-0 lead after a close tiebreak match.
Tomas Zlatohlavek did not waste any time in singles play, securing Wisconsin’s first point with a 6-0, 6-0 victory at No. 5. Sachiv Kumar followed close behind with a straight set win of his own at No. 6 singles. Shortly after Kumar’s match ended, the rain began to fall in Starkville, moving the players inside.
Ferdinand Kloesters swiftly took care of business at the No. 3 spot after the matches moved inside, grabbing the match point to take down his opponent in straight sets. On court two, senior Michael Minasyan notched a 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) win over Samford’s Darcy Nichols, clinching the win for the Badgers.
