Wisconsin Badgers
Samford
Badgers roll past Bulldogs in first round of NCAA Tournament
May 01, 2026 | Men's Tennis
No. 33 Wisconsin defeats No. 71 Samford, 4-1
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.
Â
BADGERS ARE MOVING ON 🔥🔥🔥#OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/wJw3KPmDZv
— Wisconsin Tennis (@BadgerMTennis) May 1, 2026
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.Â
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.Â
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.
Up Next: The Badgers will play in round two of the NCAA Tournament tomorrow, Saturday, May 2, against the winner of No. 5 Mississippi State and Tennessee Tech. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Starkville.Â
Â
-
Wisconsin 4, Samford 1
Doubles vs. Samford
#1 Sandeep Mahandoss/Darcy Nicholls (SAM) def. Ferdinand Kloesters/Michael Minasyan (WIS) 6-4
#2 Sebastian Harrison/Vitorio Sardinha (SAM) def. Edouard Aubert/Tomas Zlatohlavek (WIS) 7-6 (8-6)
#3 Matthew Fullerton/Patrik Meszaros (WIS) def. Lukas Dvorak/Cooper Errey (SAM) 7-6 (9-7)
ÂSingles vs. Samford
#1 Patrik Meszaros (WIS) vs. Sandeep Mahandoss (SAM) 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 1-0
#2 No. 64 Michael Minasyan (WIS) vs. Darcy Nicholls (SAM) 7-5, 7-6 (7-4)
#3 Ferdinand Kloesters (WIS) vs. Sebastian Harrison (SAM) 6-2, 6-4
#4 Edouard Aubert (WIS) vs. Santiago Arredondo (SAM) 7-5, 5-4
#5 Tomas Zlatohlavek (WIS) def. Lukas Dvorak (SAM) 6-0, 6-0
#6 Sachiv Kumar (WIS) def. Cooper Errey (SAM) 6-4, 6-4
ÂOrder of finish: Doubles (1, 3, 2); Singles (5, 6, 3, 2)
Â
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,3,2
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
5,6,3,2
Players Mentioned
