Five things to know: Men’s tennis makes first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017

Friday, May 1

Starkville, Miss.

10 a.m. CT

Wisconsin Badgers

Samford

Five things to know: Men’s tennis makes first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017

April 29, 2026 | Men's Tennis

Wisconsin faces Samford in the first round on Friday

By: Ella Stufft

1 – POSTSEASON NOTES – After wrapping up conference play with an 8-5 record, Wisconsin earned a Big Ten Tournament berth as the No. 6 seed. The Badgers faced the three-seeded Illinois Fighting Illini last Thursday, suffering their first sweep of the season in the tournament match. The setback at the conference tournament did not affect Wisconsin's NCAA odds, as the Badgers are slated to make their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2017 on Friday.

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2 – KNOW YOUR OPPONENT – Wisconsin will face Samford in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs earned an automatic qualifier bid after winning their second consecutive Southern Conference tournament title, defeating ETSU 4-2 in the finals.

Samford enters the tournament with a 17-6 overall record, ending its regular season ranked No. 73 in the ITA rankings. Sebastian Harrison won a team-best 14 singles matches for the Bulldogs this spring, playing in both the No. 2 and No. 3 positions. He is 7-1 in his last 10 matches, including 5-1 in conference play.

3 – CONFERENCE AWARDS – Last week the Big Ten Conference announced its 2026 men's tennis postseason awards. Three Badgers found themselves on the list, with Patrik Meszaros earning First Team All-Big Ten Honors. He is the first Badger to earn First Team honors since Daniel Soyfer in 2018. Ferdinand Kloesters capped off his impressive debut season with a spot on the All-Freshman Team and Michael Minasyan was named Wisconsin's Sportsmanship Honoree.

4 – FOLLOW THE ACTION – Live stats and video coverage can be found at NCAA.com. Live updates for Friday's match can be found on X (@BadgerMTennis) and Instagram (@wisconsintennis), and a match recap will be posted on uwbadgers.com.

5 – WEEKEND OVERVIEW – UW will first see the courts in Starkville, Mississippi on Friday, May 1 with its first round match up against Samford scheduled for 10 a.m. CT. If the Badgers earn a victory over the Bulldogs they will play the winner of the Mississippi State and Tennessee Tech matchup. Mississippi State earned the overall No. 5 seed in the Tournament and is hosting the first two rounds.