Tennis: Northwestern men show resilience against Denver, while its women easily quash DePaul

Northwestern tennis experienced a weekend of high-stakes drama contrasted with steady dominance at the Combe Tennis Center. The men’s side rallied for a gritty comeback win over Denver, while the women’s squad made quick work of DePaul.

For No. 54 men’s tennis (10-3), Sunday was a test of character. After a tough 4-0 road loss to No. 24 Notre Dame on Friday, which snapped a nine-match winning streak that was the program’s longest since 2017, the Wildcats appeared to be in trouble against Denver. Trailing 3-2 and facing a potential winless week, the veteran-rookie punch of Greyson Casey and Cooper Han turned the tide.

Casey, who earlier teamed up with Carter Pate for a 6-3 win at No. 1 doubles to move their season record to a perfect 9-0, kept the dual alive with a clutch 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) singles victory. That set the stage for Han, who showed ice-cold composure in the deciding match. Despite trailing 3-1 in the final set, Han stormed back to secure a 6-0, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4 win. It was the first three-set victory of his career and marked Northwestern’s first comeback from a 3-2 deficit since 2023.

Other bright spots for the men included Ethan Schiffman, who put NU on the board with a straight-sets win, and Pate, who leveled the match at 2-2 with a 6-4, 7-5 triumph at the top singles spot.

On the women’s side, the story was much more straightforward. The Wildcats (7-4) handled DePaul with a convincing 6-1 victory, ignited by a clinical doubles performance. Erica Jessel and Margot Phanthala rolled to a 6-1 win at No. 2, while Mika Dagan Fruchtman and Marelie Raath clinched the point with a 6-4 win in their first dual start together.

Singles play was highlighted by a lightning-fast performance from Autumn Rabjohns. Playing at the No. 3 spot, Rabjohns won the first eight games of her match, eventually finishing off a 6-0, 6-1 masterclass. Neena Feldman followed suit with a 6-1, 6-2 win, and Dagan Fruchtman officially clinched the team victory at the No. 6 spot. Dagan Fruchtman’s 6-3, 6-2 win was a personal milestone, marking her sixth win of the season and tripling her total from all of last year.

Maia Loureiro and Raath added late wins to the tally, with Loureiro surviving a marathon 12-10 first-set tiebreak to push the final score to 6-1.

Both teams now prepare for the next phase of the season. The men’s team will host UIC this Saturday, Feb. 28, for their final non-conference tune-up. Meanwhile, the women’s team earns a weekend off before launching into Big Ten play on the road against Iowa and Nebraska in early March.