Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, March 6
Evanston, Ill.
6 p.m. CT
Northwestern
vs
Washington
Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics
Men's Tennis Opens Conference Play at Home
3/5/2026 7:22:00 PM | Men's Tennis
EVANSTON, Ill. — Winners of 11 of its last 12 matches, No. 42-ranked Northwestern kicks off its Big Ten schedule and closes out its non-conference slate inside Combe Tennis Center this weekend. Action begins Friday, March 6, at 6 p.m. CT against Washington and is followed by a doubleheader on Sunday, March 8, with an 11 a.m. CT match versus No. 58 Oregon and a 6:30 p.m. CT showdown with Creighton.
This past weekend, the Wildcats (11-3) swept UIC, 7-0, in their penultimate non-conference match. Northwestern tabbed two 6-2 victories at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles to claim the doubles points, which was followed by strong singles play. Sophomore Carter Pate, the team's No. 1 in singles, was the first Wildcat to finish his match with a 6-0, 6-1 victory, which was followed by first-year Cooper Han's 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 6. Playing at No. 2, Cyrus Mahjoob clinched the match for the Wildcats with a 6-2, 6-4 result.
Northwestern's 11 wins are the second most in the conference, and its .786 win percentage ranks fourth in the conference. The Wildcats' 11-3 record is their best start to a dual season through 14 games since 2016 (13-1). The team's No. 42 ranking is its highest since the conclusion of the 2023 campaign (No. 25). From Jan. 18-Feb. 14, Northwestern held a nine-match winning streak, the program's longest streak since winning nine straight to open the 2017 dual season. The Wildcats have seven sweeps this season, their most in a campaign since 2023 (9).
Pate and junior Greyson Casey skyrocketed up the ITA doubles rankings, checking in as the No. 26 duo in the nation. They are Northwestern's highest-ranked doubles team since April 28, 2021 (Simen Bratholm and Nick Brookes, No. 22). The sixth-ranked doubles pairing in the Big Ten, Pate and Casey have competed at the No. 1 doubles spot for the Wildcats and boast an unblemished 10-0 record. Their 10 wins are the most by a Wildcat duo since Trice Pickens and Natan Spear had 11 wins in the 2023 dual season. The last Northwestern pairing to post 10+ wins at the No. 1 doubles spot was Bratholm and Brookes, who had an 11-6 record in 2021.
Playing primarily at No. 2 doubles for the Wildcats, Mahjoob and junior Ethan Schiffman have posted a 6-2 doubles record together.
Pate, who has competed at the No. 1 slot in both singles and doubles in the majority of his matches, leads the team with ten victories in both singles (10-3) and 11 wins in doubles (11-1). Pate's 21 total wins lead the team. He holds a 6-3 record at No. 1 singles, making him the first Wildcat to have a record over .500 at No. 1 singles since the 2023 dual season, when Forman (11-4) and Ivan Yatsuk (5-2) did so.
Behind Pate, Schiffman — a transfer from Cal — has tallied the second-most wins on the team with 17. He has an 9-2 singles record, playing primarily at No. 4 slot, and an 8-2 doubles record.
Han is yet to lose a match in his college career. Competing at the No. 6 singles position in all but one match, Han has a 7-0 singles record, as well as a 3-0 doubles record. His seven singles wins are the most by a Northwestern first-year since Presley Thieneman in the 2021 dual season (12).
The Wildcats trail the all-time series against the Huskies (6-6), 5-3. Northwestern fell against Washington on the road last season and is eyeing its first victory over the Huskies in at least 25 years. Last weekend, Washington competed in the Diablos College Invitational in Tempe, Ariz., where they went 1-2. The Huskies have the No. 58 doubles team nationally in Soham Purohit and Brett Pearson, who are 6-1 on the season together. Purohit is the team's No. 1 singles player and has a 7-3 record.
Sunday morning's match against the Ducks (9-2) will be the sixth meeting between the two squads. The Wildcats currently lead the all-time series 3-2 but have dropped two consecutive matches against Oregon over the past two seasons. Northwestern will search for its first win over the Ducks since Feb. 11, 2022. The Ducks, which come off a 6-1 victory over UNC Wilmington, are led by the nation's No. 39 doubles pairing in Pierre Mouesca and Matthew Burton, who are 8-1 this season. Their No. 1 singles player, Vlad Breazu, is 8-0 on the campaign.
The Wildcats are set to face the Bluejays (8-5) for the first time in program history. Creighton did not compete this last weekend, last playing on Feb. 20, when it defeated Northwest Missouri State, 6-0. Yuma Daijima, who has played at the No. 1 and No. 2 singles slots this season, has a 6-2 record this season. Playing most of his matches at No. 4, Zachary Kuo leads the team with seven wins.
Northwestern hits the road in Big Ten play for the first time this season next weekend when it visits No. 29 Wisconsin on Friday, March 13 at 5:30 p.m. CT and No. 40 Nebraska on Sunday, March 15 at noon CT.
This past weekend, the Wildcats (11-3) swept UIC, 7-0, in their penultimate non-conference match. Northwestern tabbed two 6-2 victories at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles to claim the doubles points, which was followed by strong singles play. Sophomore Carter Pate, the team's No. 1 in singles, was the first Wildcat to finish his match with a 6-0, 6-1 victory, which was followed by first-year Cooper Han's 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 6. Playing at No. 2, Cyrus Mahjoob clinched the match for the Wildcats with a 6-2, 6-4 result.
Northwestern's 11 wins are the second most in the conference, and its .786 win percentage ranks fourth in the conference. The Wildcats' 11-3 record is their best start to a dual season through 14 games since 2016 (13-1). The team's No. 42 ranking is its highest since the conclusion of the 2023 campaign (No. 25). From Jan. 18-Feb. 14, Northwestern held a nine-match winning streak, the program's longest streak since winning nine straight to open the 2017 dual season. The Wildcats have seven sweeps this season, their most in a campaign since 2023 (9).
Pate and junior Greyson Casey skyrocketed up the ITA doubles rankings, checking in as the No. 26 duo in the nation. They are Northwestern's highest-ranked doubles team since April 28, 2021 (Simen Bratholm and Nick Brookes, No. 22). The sixth-ranked doubles pairing in the Big Ten, Pate and Casey have competed at the No. 1 doubles spot for the Wildcats and boast an unblemished 10-0 record. Their 10 wins are the most by a Wildcat duo since Trice Pickens and Natan Spear had 11 wins in the 2023 dual season. The last Northwestern pairing to post 10+ wins at the No. 1 doubles spot was Bratholm and Brookes, who had an 11-6 record in 2021.
Playing primarily at No. 2 doubles for the Wildcats, Mahjoob and junior Ethan Schiffman have posted a 6-2 doubles record together.
Pate, who has competed at the No. 1 slot in both singles and doubles in the majority of his matches, leads the team with ten victories in both singles (10-3) and 11 wins in doubles (11-1). Pate's 21 total wins lead the team. He holds a 6-3 record at No. 1 singles, making him the first Wildcat to have a record over .500 at No. 1 singles since the 2023 dual season, when Forman (11-4) and Ivan Yatsuk (5-2) did so.
Behind Pate, Schiffman — a transfer from Cal — has tallied the second-most wins on the team with 17. He has an 9-2 singles record, playing primarily at No. 4 slot, and an 8-2 doubles record.
Han is yet to lose a match in his college career. Competing at the No. 6 singles position in all but one match, Han has a 7-0 singles record, as well as a 3-0 doubles record. His seven singles wins are the most by a Northwestern first-year since Presley Thieneman in the 2021 dual season (12).
The Wildcats trail the all-time series against the Huskies (6-6), 5-3. Northwestern fell against Washington on the road last season and is eyeing its first victory over the Huskies in at least 25 years. Last weekend, Washington competed in the Diablos College Invitational in Tempe, Ariz., where they went 1-2. The Huskies have the No. 58 doubles team nationally in Soham Purohit and Brett Pearson, who are 6-1 on the season together. Purohit is the team's No. 1 singles player and has a 7-3 record.
Sunday morning's match against the Ducks (9-2) will be the sixth meeting between the two squads. The Wildcats currently lead the all-time series 3-2 but have dropped two consecutive matches against Oregon over the past two seasons. Northwestern will search for its first win over the Ducks since Feb. 11, 2022. The Ducks, which come off a 6-1 victory over UNC Wilmington, are led by the nation's No. 39 doubles pairing in Pierre Mouesca and Matthew Burton, who are 8-1 this season. Their No. 1 singles player, Vlad Breazu, is 8-0 on the campaign.
The Wildcats are set to face the Bluejays (8-5) for the first time in program history. Creighton did not compete this last weekend, last playing on Feb. 20, when it defeated Northwest Missouri State, 6-0. Yuma Daijima, who has played at the No. 1 and No. 2 singles slots this season, has a 6-2 record this season. Playing most of his matches at No. 4, Zachary Kuo leads the team with seven wins.
Northwestern hits the road in Big Ten play for the first time this season next weekend when it visits No. 29 Wisconsin on Friday, March 13 at 5:30 p.m. CT and No. 40 Nebraska on Sunday, March 15 at noon CT.
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