Michigan
Fighting Irish Invitational
Doubles Game Highlights Michigan's Season Opener in South Bend
9/24/2026 8:39:00 PM | Men's Tennis
» The doubles pair of Alex Cairo and Benjamin Azar went undefeated with three wins.
» Azar won two of his three singles matches.
» The Wolverines will continue the fall season at the Hope College Invitational next weekend.
Site: South Bend, Ind. (Eck Tennis Pavilion)
Event: Fighting Irish Mini Duals
U-M Result: No Team Scoring
Next U-M Event: Fri-Sun., Oct. 2-4 -- at Hope College Invite (Holland, Mich.)
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The University of Michigan men's tennis team opened the 2026 fall season by sending a quartet of Wolverines to the Fighting Irish Mini Duals this weekend at the Eck Tennis Pavillion.
The Wolverines were excellent in doubles play, winning five of six matches. Alex Cairo and Benjamin Azar went 3-0 with wins over pairs from Illinois, Wisconsin and DePaul. Arnav Bhandari and Pierce Shaya grabbed matching 6-4 victories over doubles pairs from Louisville and Wisconsin.
Azar kept things rolling in singles, capturing wins in two of his three matches. He earned his first collegiate win over Wisconsin's Jens Holger Nissen with back-to-back 6-3 sets and topped DePaul's Alex Haage 6-3, 6-1.
The Wolverines host the ITF M15 Ann Arbor at the Varsity Tennis Center next week. The tournament gets underway on Monday (Sept. 28) and runs through Sunday (Oct. 4). Michigan will also send players to the Hope College Invitational in Holland, Mich., Friday through Sunday (Oct. 2-4).
Doubles
Alex Cairo/Benjamin Azar
Friday (Sept. 25) -- d. Jon Gamble/Nicholas Mekhael (Illinois), 6-7 (5)
Friday (Sept. 25) -- d. Matthew Fullerton/Jens Holger Nissen (Wisconsin), 6-3
Saturday, Sept. 26 -- d. Andy Hadziabdic/Alex Haage (DePaul), 6-1
Arnav Bhandari/Pierce Shaya
Friday (Sept. 25) -- d. Lucas Bazin/Jerald Carroll (Louisville), 6-4
Friday (Sept. 25) -- d. Oliver Olsson/Collin Bedhun (Wisconsin), 6-4
Saturday, Sept. 26 -- l. Owen Megargee/Jacob Golden (Northwestern), 6-4
Singles
Benjamin Azar
Friday (Sept. 25) -- l. Nicholas Mekhael (Illinois), 6-1, 6-0
Saturday (Sept. 26) -- d. Jens Holger Nissen (Wisconsin), 6-3, 6-3
Saturday, Sept. 26 -- d. Alex Haage (DePaul), 6-3, 6-1
Arnav Bhandari
Friday (Sept. 25) -- l. Lucas Bazin (Louisville), 7-5, 7-6 (5)
Saturday (Sept. 26) -- l. Collin Beduhn (Wisconsin), 6-0, 4-6, 10-4
Saturday (Sept. 26) -- l. Jacob Golden (Northwestern), 7-5, 5-7, 10-5
Alex Cairo
Friday (Sept. 25) -- l. Jon Gamble (Illinois), 6-4, 6-23
Saturday (Sept. 26) -- l. Matthew Fullerton (Wisconsin), 6-0, 6-4
Saturday (Sept. 26) -- d. Andy Hadziabdic (DePaul), score unavailable
Pierce Shaya
Friday (Sept. 25) -- l. Jerald Carroll (Louisville), 6-3, 7-5
Saturday (Sept. 26) -- l. Oliver Olsson (Wisconsin), 6-2, 6-2
Saturday (Sept. 26) -- l. Owen Megargee (Northwestern) 6-4, 6-2
