Notre Dame men’s tennis is in the groove. The Irish are currently 8-1, and a win over No. 25 Illinois Saturday helped bump them up to No. 24 in the ITA rankings. A dual against Wisconsin without its best player, No. 14 Sebastian Dominko, remains Notre Dame’s only defeat. Last year’s 14-15 record seems like the distant past, and the Irish are on their way to their best season since 2021, when they went 15-11. This weekend will test their resolve as they host a surging Northwestern team Friday, before traveling to Columbus to take on No. 1 Ohio State.
Friday’s Northwestern dual looks to be the appetizer before Sunday’s main course, but this year’s Northwestern team is not to be overlooked. After consecutive losses against Vanderbilt and Louisville to open the season, the Wildcats have rattled off nine wins in a row, including a 6-1 beatdown of Alabama. They are led by sophomore Carter Pate, who has accumulated a 10-1 singles record and a 9-2 doubles record this school year. Pate’s best win came against Vanderbilt, where he beat No. 62 Pablo Martinez Gomez in a thriller, 7-6(8), 3-6, 7-6(2). Look for Pate and the Wildcats to come out hungry for a chance to prove themselves against a top-25 ranked Irish squad.
The Irish will have precious little time to contemplate Friday’s result, as they will have to prepare for a daunting battle on Sunday. The Buckeyes started the season off with a bang, defeating Purdue 4-1 at home. They went on to beat No. 5 Texas 4-1, No. 1 and defending champions Wake Forest 4-0, and new No. 1 Virginia 5-2. Last week, the Buckeyes traveled to Dallas for the 2026 ITA National Team Indoor Championships. There, they defeated SMU 4-3, No. 4 Stanford 4-3, and No. 1 Virginia 4-2 in a rematch. They finally hit a bump in the road, losing 4-2 against No. 7 Texas in the final. Despite the loss, the Buckeyes are without doubt the most dominant team in men’s college tennis, and will be anxious to return to winning ways on Sunday.
Their singles lineup is led by the 13th-ranked junior, Aidan Kim, who went 2-2 last weekend, including a stunning 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 comeback over Virginia’s Dylan Dietrich, the second-ranked player nationwide. The Buckeyes also have the current No. 1 ranked doubles team in the nation, consisting of sophomores Brandon Carpico and Nikita Filin. The pair went 3-1 during the indoor championships, with their only loss coming in the final. As if one top-ten doubles pair isn’t enough, the Buckeyes have two more in the No. 7 pairing of Alexander Bernard and Alex Okonkwo and No. 8 team of Bryce Nakashima. This great triumvirate has allowed Ohio State to lock down the doubles point this season, giving them an edge in tight matches. Despite the odds, Notre Dame will provide a stern challenge in both the doubles and singles departments.
The battle between the aforementioned No. 14 Dominko and No. 13 Kim proves to be a mouth-watering matchup. Expect enticing shotmaking and clutch serving down the stretch. Notre Dame graduate student Perry Gregg, ranked 72nd, will also look to make life difficult for the Buckeyes. Gregg has been flying lately, defeating Illinois’ No. 12 Kenta Miyoshi 6-5, 7-5 last weekend, as well as Wisconsin’s No. 75 Michael Minasyan in Dominko’s absence. Notre Dame’s sophomore doubles duo Peter Nad and Luis Llorens Saracho have been similarly dominant, defeating Illinois and Creighton at the No. 1 doubles spot to protect their No. 16 ranking.
This Irish squad is firing on all cylinders and is a serious threat to adding a digit to Ohio State’s loss column. Regardless of the outcome, this is shaping up to be a premier college tennis showdown. Matchplay begins Feb. 22 at noon in Columbus.
