Michigan
Nebraska
Michigan Tops Nebraska to Earn First Big Ten Win
3/8/2026 3:42:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Score: Michigan 4, Nebraska 1
Records: U-M (5-5, 1-1 Big Ten), Nebraska (8-5, 0-2 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Friday, March 13 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 6 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's tennis team earned its first Big Ten win of the season, knocking off Nebraska, 4-1, on Sunday (March 8) at the Varsity Tennis Center.
Max Dahlin returned to the lineup and secured both a doubles and singles win for the Wolverines. Michigan (5-5, 1-1 Big Ten) took the doubles point behind a new pairing of Mert Oral and Alex Cairo at No. 3. The duo jumped out to a 3-0 lead with a break and cruised to a 6-1 win.
Both No. 1 and No. 2 doubles matches went to tiebreakers, with Pierce Shaya and Dahlin rallying from a 4-1 deficit to force the breaker at the top spot. The Cornhuskers pushed the match to extra points, but the Wolverines claimed the final two for a 7-6 (8-6) victory to secure the doubles point.
Nebraska (8-5, 0-2 Big Ten) evened the score with a win at No. 3 singles.
With Michigan winning four of six first sets, the Wolverines were in position to regain the lead.
Oral earned a straight-set win over Colson Wells at No. 4, 6-4, 6-1, for his fifth straight singles victory.
No. 10 Dahlin pushed Michigan ahead 3-1, defeating Leo Linquet in three sets, 6-1, 2-6, 6-4. He extended his personal winning streak to six matches and improved to 8-1 at No. 1 this spring.
Arnav Bhandari earned his first victory at No. 5 singles to clinch the team win. After taking the first set in a tiebreak, 7-6 (7), Bhandari fell behind 2-0 in the second before reeling off five straight games to take control and close out the 6-4 win.
Michigan begins a four-match road swing next Friday (March 13), traveling to Ohio State for a 6 p.m. match.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 10 Max Dahlin (U-M) d. Leo Linquet (NEB), 6-1, 2-6, 6-4
No. 2 -- No. 60 Bjorn Swenson (U-M) vs. Nikolay Sysoev (NEB), 7-6 (2), 4-4, abandoned
No. 3 -- Jerri Lassila (NEB) d. Nicholas Steiglehner (U-M), 6-1, 6-3
No. 4 -- Mert Oral (U-M) d. Colson Wells (NEB), 6-4, 6-1
No. 5 -- Arnav Bhandari (U-M) d. Niels Van Der Sijs (NEB), 7-6 (7), 6-4
No. 6 -- Pierce Shaya (U-M) vs. Joan Torres Espinosa (NEB), 5-7, 6-4, 0-2, abandoned
Doubles
No. 1 -- Max Dahlin/Pierce Shaya (U-M) d. Henry Lamchinniah/Matt Shearer (NEB), 7-6 (5)
No. 2 -- Bjorn Swenson/Nicholas Steiglehner (U-M) vs. Nikolay Sysoev/Henry Bilicic (NEB), 6-6, abandoned
No. 3 -- Mert Oral/Alex Cairo (U-M) d. Jerri Lassila/Joan Torres Espinosa (NEB), 6-1
Order of Completion: Doubles 3-1; Singles 3-4-1-5
Players Mentioned
