Wildcats Sink Ducks With 4-3 Victory

EUGENE, Ore. – The Wildcats staged a thrilling comeback on the road on Friday afternoon to knock off Oregon, 4-3, for their fifth straight win.

Northwestern improved to 9-2 on the season and dropped Oregon to 3-2. The 'Cats snapped an 18-game win streak at home for the Ducks, handing them their first loss in Eugene since Mar. 1, 2020 against a ranked UCLA team. The Ducks went 14-0 at home last season including a ranked win and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The 'Cats are off to their best start under Arvid Swan since 2016-17, when they were 9-0 before heading to the ITA Indoor National Championships.

While only 11 games of this season have passed, the 'Cats have amassed a formidable top three reminiscent of the memorable 2017 trio of Konrad Zieba, Strong Kirchheimer and Sam Shropshire.

This year's top three in the singles lineup, Steven Forman, No. 79 Simen Bratholm and No. 55 Trice Pickens, have been on a tear to start the year in singles, and they were again behind Friday's massive win.

After falling narrowly in the doubles point, the 'Cats needed four points in singles. Oregon took a 2-0 lead after winning at No. 5, but Bratholm put the 'Cats on the board with a 6-4, 6-4, win over Quinn Vandecasteele.

Graduate Brian Berdusco tied the match up with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Ryoma Matsushita. Berdusco is now 3-0 at No. 6 since entering the singles lineup against Duke three matches ago. Matsushita went 7-1 last year for the Ducks at the No. 6 position.

With the match tied at 2-2, the 'Cats needed two wins out of the remaining three, which had all gone to a third set including two second-set comebacks from Pickens and Presley Thieneman.

The Ducks took a 3-2 lead after Jesper Klov-Nilsson pulled away, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 at No. 4 over Thieneman

With the Wildcats' backs against the wall, Forman buckled down in the third set for a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 win over Joshua Charlton at No. 1 singles. Charlton has been the lead No. 1 for Oregon over the past two years with a 13-8 record out of the spot and he ranked as high as No. 14 in singles in 2020.

Deep into a third set with the match tied at 3-3, Pickens came through in the last two games for a rousing 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 comeback win over Ivailo Keremedchiev over three hours after affairs had started in Eugene. Pickens picked up his fourth clinch in the last five matches including notable wins against Princeton and Arizona State. Keremedchiev is a junior transfer from Louisiana, where he spent all of 2021 at No. 1 singles for the Ragin' Cajuns.

The Wildcats continue their road swing on Sunday, when they put their winning streak to the test at Notre Dame. First serve is set for 11 a.m. CT

Full results from the match can be found below.

Northwestern Wildcats vs Oregon
Feb 11, 2022 at Eugene, Ore.
(Student Tennis Center)

Northwestern Wildcats 4, Oregon 3

Singles competition

1. Steven Forman (NU) def. Joshua Charlton (ORE) 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
2. Simen Bratholm (NU) def. Quinn Vandecasteele (ORE) 6-4, 6-4
3. Trice Pickens (NU) def. Ivailo Keremedchiev (ORE) 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
4. Jesper Klov-Nilsson (ORE) def. Presley Thieneman (NU) 6-2, 3-6, 6-2
5. Luke Vandecasteele (ORE) def. Felix Nordby (NU) 6-2, 6-2
6. Brian Berdusco (NU) def. Ryoma Matsushita (ORE) 6-3, 6-3

Doubles competition

1. Joshua Charlton/Quinn Vandecasteele (ORE) def. Steven Forman/Felix Nordby (NU) 6-2
2. Brian Berdusco/Simen Bratholm (NU) def. Jesper Klov-Nilsson/Ivailo Keremedchiev (ORE) 6-3
3. Ryoma Matsushita/Luke Vandecasteele (ORE) def. Natan Spear/Trice Pickens (NU) 6-4

Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (5,2,6,4,1,3)

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Team Stats

Players Mentioned

Brian Berdusco

Simen Bratholm

Steven Forman

Felix Nordby

Trice Pickens

Natan Spear

Presley Thieneman

Northwestern University Athletics