Tennis: Wildcats wrangle with ranked rivals on men’s and women’s sides

Northwestern tennis continues to prove that it’s a tough task to tackle.

It may be finals week for Northwestern students, but for the school’s men’s and women’s tennis teams, there’s no respite from the rigors of conference play. To make matters worse, both of the opponents on the docket for both squads were ranked in the nation’s top 60. But the Wildcats soldiered on and found success, keeping themselves in the thick of the race for the top half of the Big Ten. Here’s how Northwestern fared over the weekend as conference play continued.

The Wildcat men (10-8, 3-1 B1G) kicked off a ranked road trip to the Hoosier State by taking on No. 51 Indiana (9-6, 0-4 B1G). The Hoosiers were mired in the throes of a four-match losing streak by the time Northwestern showed up in Bloomington, and the negative momentum showcased itself early. After the Hoosiers snagged the first doubles point with a 6-2 victory, Felix Nordby and Chad Miller got revenge with a 6-3 victory of their own. Max Bengtsson and Vincent Yang then put the finishing touches on a hot start with a 6-4 win to clinch the point. Headed into singles play, the Wildcats were already a point ahead.

Nordby quickly extended the Northwestern lead to 2-0 with a dominant sweep of Jip van Assendelft, 6-1, 6-1. Chad Miller put NU on the verge of victory with a 6-4, 6-0, but Indiana’s Karan Raghavendra swept Jackson Caldwell in response. Luckily, Saiprakash Goli was waiting in the wings, and his 6-2, 7-6 (9-7) victory in the #1 slot helped seal a 4-1 overall victory for the Wildcats. Goli’s win also avenged his loss in doubles earlier in the day.

After the feel-good victory, Northwestern stayed in Indiana for a Sunday matchup against No. 60 Purdue (9-4, 1-3 B1G) in West Lafayette. The Boilermakers started fast in doubles, handing Goli and Casey’s team their second loss of the weekend. Purdue’s Daniel Labrador and Nour Fathalla took care of the duo of Miller and Nordby to clinch the doubles point for the home side.

The doubles struggles left the fate of the match in the hands of singles play, and Nordby got the Wildcats off on the right foot with a 6-3, 6-2 win. Goli fell 6-4, 6-4 to Purdue’s Aleksa Krivokapic, but Miller tied the match at two with a 7-5, 6-3 victory — his second sweep of the weekend. Following Miller’s victory, Bengtsson erupted for a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 marathon win to give the Wildcats the lead.

But Fathalla struck right back for Purdue with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 toppling of Vincent Yang, meaning Casey’s matchup against the Boilermakers’ Henrik Villanger would decide the match. Casey leapt out to a lead with a 6-1 victory in set one, but Villanger responded with a 7-5 win in the second set. With everything in the balance in the final set, Casey triumphed with a 6-4 victory to seal Purdue’s defeat. The weekend victories were the first over ranked opponents for Northwestern this season, and they helped push the ‘Cats into a tie for fifth in the Big Ten.

On the women’s side, No. 38 Northwestern (9-7, 2-2 B1G) looked to defend Combe Tennis Center against a pair of ranked foes. No. 58 Nebraska (7-2, 0-4 B1G) was first on the docket in a Friday afternoon showdown. Kiley Rabjohns and Britany Lau got the party started with a 6-1 victory in doubles play. While Erica Jessel and Mika Dagan Fruchtman fell to the Cornhuskers’ Ana Zamburek and Lucy Loy, Sydney Pratt and Neena Feldman sealed the doubles point for the Wildcats with a 7-5 triumph.

Pratt then continued her hot streak with a singles victory after Nebraska’s Tiziana Rossini had to retire from the match. Lau was next up, and she too took part in the sweeping sensation. The graduate student dispatched Emma Rizzetto with ease in a 6-1, 6-2 romp, bringing her to 2-0 on the day. Feldman also imitated her doubles teammate with a victory in singles play. Though Feldman’s 6-0, 6-4 win was a bit more difficult, the sophomore pulled it off, helping deliver the Wildcats a 4-0 victory. The win marked Northwestern’s first sweep since February 16 against Milwaukee.

On Sunday, Northwestern had to deal with an even tougher opponent from a state that specializes in corn creation. No. 49 Iowa (9-4, 3-1 B1G) had won three of its previous four matches, and came out firing in doubles. Tereza Dejnozkova and Nikita Vishwase took the first doubles point 6-2, but the Wildcats struck back with a 6-1 victory from Rabjohns and Lau. Unfortunately for the ‘Cats, Feldman and Pratt were unable to recreate their Friday fortunes and fell 7-5, meaning the doubles point went to the Hawkeyes.

Pratt did make up for the loss in singles play, where she coasted to a 6-3, 6-0 victory. Lau fell to Iowa’s Daianne Hayashida 6-4, 6-2, but Rabjohns tied the meet at two with a 6-4, 6-1 sweep of her own. With every point mattering, Autumn Rabjohns (Kiley’s younger sister) took the reins, surviving a 6-1, 7-6 (7-5) marathon against the Hawkeyes’ Vishwase to get the Wildcats their third point. Despite the efforts of the sister act, though, Northwestern was unable to come away with a victory. Both Dagan Fruchtman and Jessel fell in three-set heartbreakers in the final two matches of Sunday afternoon. Iowa escaped back to the Hawkeye State with a 4-3 victory. On the bright side for Northwestern, Autumn Rabjohns’ victory was the first of her career in Big Ten singles play.

Overall, both the men’s and women’s teams have a lot to feel good about after last weekend. Both proved that they could compete with, and even topple, teams in the top 60, providing a major morale boost as conference play continues. The Wildcat men will welcome some California visitors to Evanston this weekend when they take on No. 22 USC and No. 40 UCLA at the Combe Tennis Center on Friday and Sunday. As for the women’s side, they’re staying at home for bouts with the other newcomers from the PAC-12. Northwestern will take on No. 19 Washington on Saturday afternoon before a matchup with Oregon on Monday evening.