Wisconsin Badgers
Baylor
Badgers return home from opening weekend with 1-1 record
January 19, 2026 | Men's Tennis
Wisconsin falls to No. 16 Baylor on the road, 6-1
WACO, Texas - The Wisconsin men's tennis team fought hard against No. 16 Baylor, but ultimately fell short, losing the match, 6-1. Baylor jumped out to an early lead after securing the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 3. The Bears kept their momentum in singles play, earning straight set victories on all but one court. Wisconsin's lone point came from senior Michael Minasyan at No. 1 singles.
The Bears quickly demonstrated why they deserved to be ranked No. 16 in the Jan. 7 ITA rankings. In doubles play, Baylor earned a 6-4 win on court three before battling to a 7-5 victory on court one to secure the doubles point.
In singles action, Wisconsin started strong, but was unable to hold off Baylor. Three different courts saw first set tiebreakers, and the Bears won all of them. Wisconsin's Patrik Meszaros jumped to an early lead in set two, but Baylor's Zsomber Velcz was able to fight back and secure the Bears victory.
While the team result was decided, Minasyan was determined to earn his first victory of the spring season. After falling short in the first set tiebreaker, the senior found another gear and forced a 10-point tiebreaker to decide the match. Minasyan pulled off the upset over No. 8 Devin Badenhorst, winning the tiebreak 12-10.
Wisconsin returns to Madison with a 1-1 record.
Up Next: The Badgers return to Madison for their home opener on Friday, Jan. 23. Wisconsin hosts Xavier and Chicago State in a double header format at Nielsen Tennis Stadium. First serve for each match is at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., respectively.
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Wisconsin 1, No. 16 Baylor 6
#1 Devin Badenhorst/Luc Koenig (BAY) def. Oliver Olsson/Tomas Zlatohlavek (WIS) 7-5
#2 Ferdinand Kloesters/Michael Minasyan (WIS) vs. Alexandru Chirita/Zsombor Velcz (BAY) 4-5 (unfinished)
#3 Blake Anderson/Connor van Schalkwyk (BAY) def. Matthew Fullerton/Patrik Meszaros (WIS) 6-4
Singles vs. Baylor
#1 Michael Minasyan (WIS) def. No. 8 Devin Badenhorst (BAY) 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 1-0 (12-10)
#2 No. 108 Zsombor Velcz (BAY) def. No. 60 Patrik Meszaros (WIS) 6-3, 7-5
#3 No. 17 Connor van Schalkwyk (BAY) def. Edouard Aubert (WIS) 6-4, 6-3
#4 No. 44 Alexandru Chirita (BAY) def. Ferdinand Kloesters (WIS) 7-6 (7-3), 7-5
#5 Luc Koenig (BAY) def. Matthew Fullerton (WIS) 7-6 (7-2), 6-3
#6 Louis Bowden (BAY) def. Oliver Olsson (WIS) 7-5, 6-1
Order of finish: Doubles (3, 1); Singles (3, 5, 2, 6, 4, 1)
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,1
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
3,5,2,6,4,1
Players Mentioned
