Michigan tennis faces uphill climb with tough February schedule – The Michigan Daily
The Michigan men’s tennis team has historically swung with the best of the best. Last season, the Wolverines featured three All-Americans and made the Elite Eight.
But after an offseason full of turmoil, No. 14 Michigan has plenty of questions to answer. Most importantly, can the team be a force against top talent throughout the month of February?
After losing its top three players and head coach this past offseason, the Wolverines have a lot to prove and not a lot of time to prove it. With less abundance of star talent this season, Michigan can’t be penciled in as an elite team immediately. February’s challenges will show whether or not the early success it has enjoyed so far will prevail.
“It’s a different team,” Wolverine coach Sean Maymi said Oct. 27. “It’d be unfair to compare us to last year’s team. But I think they’ve got to make their mark and figure out what they want to do with it. My hopes are that they win every match, but I know that that’s not realistic. I know that we’ve got to learn how to handle the losses.”
And there are several teams on the docket looking to hand Michigan losses.
The first is No. 15 Harvard, which will host Michigan on Feb. 2. The two squared off last season with Michigan defeating the Crimson, 4-3. However, this year’s Wolverine team has their hands full as Harvard returns many of its starters from last season.
After its road trip against the Crimson, Michigan will return home for a three-match homestand. The Wolverines will first host Washington on Feb. 4, whom they bested last season, 5-2. Michigan is currently on a five dual-match winning streak over the Huskies, and is 3-0 at home. Five days later, the Wolverines will battle Notre Dame, which they also hold a five dual-match winning streak over.
To end the homestand, Michigan will play the team it was eliminated from the 2023 NCAA Tournament by – TCU.
The fourth-ranked Horned Frogs return many of their roster staples from last season and are in prime position to make another lengthy playoff run. On the other side of the net, the Wolverines have a grudge to settle. They’ll get the chance to do that on Feb. 13.
If Michigan can overcome an elite TCU team, it will roll into the ITA National Indoor Championships with a wave of momentum after defeating Nevada and No. 9 Stanford this past weekend in the ITA Kickoff.
“(The National Indoor Championship) was our first big goal for the team,” junior Patorn Hanchaikul said Sunday. “A lot of people doubted us, (saying) that we were weaker than last year. … We had a pretty tough group here to qualify, but I’m glad that we showed everyone that we’re a good team this year and (we are) super excited to play at National Indoors for the second year in a row.”
Last season, Michigan knocked off the then-17th-ranked Cardinal and then-No. 5 Virginia by a combined score of 8-2, before falling to then-No. 7 Texas in the semifinals. If the Wolverines want to reach the summit that they nearly missed out on last season, they will most likely have to face at least four top-25 teams. With a tough climb ahead of it, Michigan can’t afford to play less than perfect.
To close out the month, the Wolverines will travel to Los Angeles to face No. 10 USC. Michigan defeated the Trojans twice last season, wins that represent the only matches between the soon-to-be conference foes since 2020.
Despite the previous successes against many of its upcoming opponents, the Wolverines can’t bank on talent that’s no longer on its roster. Instead, new faces will have to step up to the challenge ahead.
Senior Gavin Young has slid into the No. 1 singles slot, with seniors Jacob Bickersteth and Nino Ehrenschneider rounding out the top three. Hanchaikul has already provided strong value to the team, and junior Will Cooksey has assumed a full-time starting singles role. Sophomore Bjorn Swenson has also started strong and might lock in a starting singles spot as well.
With four top-15 dual matchups – and potentially more if Michigan advances in the ITA National Indoor Championship – over the span of 29 days, they have their work cut out for them. If the Wolverines can have a strong February, they will prove that they can compete with the best of the best.
