Michigan
Illinois
Michigan to Continue Road Swing Through Illinois
3/18/2026 1:05:00 PM | Men's Tennis
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's tennis team (6-6, 2-2 Big Ten) will continue its road swing this weekend, beginning with a Friday (March 20) matchup against No. 10 Illinois (14-3, 4-0 Big Ten) at 6 p.m. CT in Champaign at the Atkins Tennis Center. The Wolverines will then travel to Evanston to face Northwestern (13-6, 1-3 Big Ten) on Sunday (March 22) at 11 a.m. CT at Combe Tennis Center.
Notes
• Michigan split last weekend, falling at then-No. 1 Ohio State before a 4-3 win at Penn State. The Wolverines are now 6-6 overall and 2-2 in the Big Ten.
• Max Dahlin continues his hot streak in both singles and doubles, entering the weekend on a seven-match singles win streak. He is 9-1 at the No. 1 position and 18-3 overall, while checking in at No. 10 in the ITA singles rankings. In doubles, Dahlin and partner Pierce Shaya are 5-0 at No. 1. Dahlin is ranked No. 9 in doubles with partner Bjorn Swenson based on their 8-2 fall season that saw them reach the NCAA quarterfinals, though they have not been paired this spring.
• Swenson is ranked No. 73 in the latest ITA singles rankings with a 13-6 overall record. He is 5-2 at No. 2 singles and has won his last three matches. He is also part of two ranked doubles pairs, including a No. 66 ranking with Nicholas Steiglehner.
• Mert Oral is on a career-long six-match win streak and is 2-0 in Big Ten play. He has played at No. 3 singles three times, with just one match going to a decision, an Oral victory. Additionally, he is 6-2 at No. 4 singles.
• Illinois is ranked No. 10 in the ITA rankings with a 14-3 record and sits atop the Big Ten standings with a 4-0 mark. The Illini have three ranked singles players, led by Kenta Miyoshi at No. 23. Miyoshi is also part of two ranked doubles pairs. Illinois enters the weekend on a 10-match win streak.
• Michigan leads the all-time series with Illinois, 71-45-2, and has won six of the last seven meetings, including a 4-0 decision last year. This is the first time Michigan will face a top-10 Illinois team since 2018.
• Northwestern is 13-6 on the season and 1-3 in the Big Ten, with its lone win coming over Washington in the conference opener. The Wildcats' lone ranking comes from Carter Pate and Greyson Casey at No. 25 in doubles.
• The Wolverines hold an 81-28-1 advantage in the series with the Wildcats, going 25-5 since 2000. Michigan has won the last 12 matches, with Northwestern's last win in the series coming in 2016.
• The Wolverines return home next weekend, hosting UCLA on Friday (March 27) and USC on Sunday (March 29). Admission to all home matches is free.
Players Mentioned
