Five things to know: Men’s tennis begins spring dual season in Texas

1 – FANTASTIC FALL – Wisconsin participated in five tournaments throughout the fall semester. Three team members were invited to the ITA All-American tournament, where sophomores Patrik Meszaros and Edouard Aubert both posted winning records. Juniors Matthew Fullerton and Tomas Zlatohlavek saw success at the Milwaukee Tennis Classic, ending the weekend with winning records in both singles and doubles action. Junior Collin Beduhn teamed up with TCU's Dussault and advanced to the doubles final in Milwaukee.

UW wrapped up fall play in Madison at the Big Ten Individual Championships. Senior Michael Minasyan earned four wins to advance to the singles finals before falling to MSU's David Saye. The partnership of Meszaros and Fullerton also advanced to the championship match in doubles play.

2 – TRENDING UP – The Badgers concluded their 2025 spring season with a 9-12 overall record and three ranked wins within the Big Ten Conference. Their most notable victory was a 4-3 upset win over No. 36 Michigan State. The team gained experience and earned eight more wins than in 2024, despite playing two fewer matches. UW did not see any roster changes over the offseason and looks to leverage this momentum heading into the 2026 season.

Multiple Badgers have earned spots in the ITA rankings throughout the fall. Minasyan entered the fall season ranked No. 61 after his impressive spring playing No. 1 singles for Wisconsin. The Badgers top doubles pairing of Oliver Olsson and Tomas Zlatohlavek also entered the fall ranked at No. 72. Sophomore Patrik Meszaros claimed the No. 60 spot in the most recent ITA singles rankings after posting an 8-4 record this fall.

"In the spring, it's always about the team." said head coach Danny Westerman. "It's always about the jersey and the front of the shirt."

3 – KNOW YOUR OPPONENTS – Wisconsin is 3-5 in the all-time series against SMU. Last year the Badgers earned a 5-2 victory over the Mustangs to improve to 3-0 in contests played in Madison. SMU's Trevor Svajda enters spring play ranked No. 2 in singles play as of the Nov. 25 ITA rankings.

UW will play Baylor for just the second time in team history. The then ranked No. 8 Bears took a 4-0 victory over the Badgers in 2020. Baylor claimed the No. 16 spot in the Jan. 17 ITA team rankings and had five players in the Nov. 25 ITA singles rankings. Junior Devin Badenhorst earned the highest ranking at No. 8 after earning All-Big 12 First Team for both singles and doubles.

4 – FOLLOW THE ACTION – Wisconsin's first match of the dual season will take place in Dallas, Texas on Saturday, Jan. 17 at noon CT. Live stats and video coverage can be found at smumustangs.com. The Badgers will remain in Texas for a match against Baylor on Monday, Jan. 19 at noon CT. Live updates for both matches can be found on X (@BadgerMTennis) and Instagram (@wisconsintennis) and a match recap will be posted on uwbadgers.com.

5 – UP NEXT – The Badgers will return to Madison for a double-header home opener on Friday, Jan. 23 against Xavier and Chicago State. The matches taking place at Nielsen Tennis Stadium are scheduled for 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., respectively.

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