After dropping their season opener to Vanderbilt, Northwestern has been on a tear, securing wins over Alabama, Xavier and Chicago State on Friday and Sunday.
The Wildcats (6-2, 0-0 Big Ten) left Tuscaloosa with a commanding 6-1 win over Alabama on Friday.
The victory was marked by two impressive ranked wins from No. 1 doubles teammates junior Greyson Casey and sophomore Carter Pate and No. 2 singles junior Cyrus Mahjoob.
Casey and Pate won 7-5 over the Crimson Tide’s Matic Kriznik and Vit Kalina, who entered the match as the No. 66-ranked doubles pairing. In what ended up being the victory-clinching match for NU, Mahjoob defeated Kriznik 7-6(5), 6-2, the No. 27-ranked singles player in the nation.
The victory over Alabama was the first non-conference road win for the ’Cats since March 2023, when they defeated Princeton 4-0.
When NU returned to home turf Sunday, NU wreaked havoc on its weaker double-header opponents with decisive victories.
Against Xavier, the ’Cats swiftly won 4-0 with standout doubles play setting the foundation. With wins from the No. 2, 4 and 5 singles players, NU accumulated enough points to seal the contest swiftly.
To cap off the week, the ’Cats faced off against Chicago State on Sunday, sweeping the Cougars in a remarkable 7-0 win.
While the doubles teams continued their mastery, there were multiple notable results on the singles side.
Former No. 28 recruit in the country and current freshman Cooper Han played at the No. 5 spot, the highest rank of his career so far, and dominated. He notched the ’Cats’ first “double bagel” of the season with his 6-0, 6-0 win over Reed Gahagan.
Alongside Han, sophomore Dylan Charlap played his first singles match of the spring season at the No. 6 spot. The Vanderbilt transfer only dropped two sets in his 6-1, 6-1 win.
NU will look to build on its recent success in its road matchup with Memphis on Sunday.
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