Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, April 10
Los Angeles, Calif.
5 p.m. CT
Northwestern
at
USC
Photo by: Mary Grace Grabill/Northwestern Athletics
Men's Tennis Heads West for Weekend Matches
4/9/2026 6:06:00 PM | Men's Tennis
LOS ANGELES — No. 66-ranked Northwestern hits the road for the penultimate weekend of the regular season, traveling to Los Angeles to face No. 28 USC on Friday, April 10, at 5 p.m. CT and No. 24 UCLA on Sunday, April 12, at 1 p.m. CT.
This past weekend, the Wildcats (15-10, 3-7 Big Ten) swept Purdue 4-0 and notched a comeback 4-3 victory against No. 62 Indiana over Senior Weekend. Junior Cyrus Mahjoob and junior Ethan Schiffman both posted 2-0 records in singles, with Mahjoob clinching both matches. Teaming up in doubles, the two also went 2-0 over the weekend. Northwestern's sweep of the Boilermakers was its first sweep of a Big Ten opponent since the 2023 dual season, and its victory over the Hoosiers marked the team's first ranked win of the season. The weekend marked the first time that the Wildcats have won consecutive contests in conference play this season.
Mahjoob was named Big Ten Player of the Week for his 4-0 weekend. Against Purdue, he posted a 6-4 doubles victory at No. 2 doubles to clinch the match's first point and concluded the match with a 6-4, 6-3 victory at No. 2 singles. On Sunday against Indiana, he moved to the No. 1 slot in both singles and doubles. To open the match, he and Schiffman saved three match points in a 7-6 (8-6) decision in doubles. He then clinched the match after it was tied at three apiece with a 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 singles victory. Mahjoob is the first Wildcat to be named Player of the Week since Presley Thieneman on Feb. 14, 2024.
Northwestern's 15 wins are the third-most in the conference. The Wildcats' 15 wins exceed their totals from the 2023 (10) and 2024 (12) dual seasons. From Jan. 18-Feb. 14, Northwestern held a nine-match winning streak, the program's longest streak since winning nine straight to open the 2017 dual season. The Wildcats now have nine sweeps this season, their most in a campaign since 2023 (9).
Junior Greyson Casey and sophomore Carter Pate are the ITA's No. 18-ranked doubles team in the nation, as they boast an unblemished 17-0 record. They are Northwestern's highest-ranked doubles team since April 21, 2021 (Simen Bratholm and Nick Brookes, No. 17). The third-ranked doubles pairing in the Big Ten, Pate and Casey's 17 wins are the most by a Wildcat duo since Strong Kirchheimer and Dominik Stary won 19 in the 2016-17 season. Pate and Casey are one win away from tying Danny Weiss and Martin Hampe (1984-85) for the 10th most wins by a doubles team in program history. They also currently hold the program's single-season record for win percentage by a doubles team, breaking the record set by Chris Gregersen and Todd Martin in 1988-89 (.929).
Pate, who has competed at the No. 1 slot in both singles and doubles in the majority of his matches, is tied for the most singles wins on the team with 14 (14-8) and leads the team in doubles wins with 18 (18-1). Pate's 32 total wins lead the team and are the most by a Wildcat since Steven Forman had 32 in the 2022 dual season. Pate has 10 wins at No. 1 singles, the most by a Northwestern player at the No. 1 singles spot since the 2023 dual season, when Forman tallied 11 (11-4).
Schiffman — a transfer from Cal — is tied with Pate for the most singles wins on the team (14). Primarily playing at No. 4 singles, Schiffman has a 14-5 record, as his .737 win percentage in singles is the best on the team (min. 10 singles matches). Furthermore, Schiffman has tallied the second-most wins on the team with 28, as he has a 14-7 doubles record. He has a team-best five wins in Big Ten play.
Mahjoob ranks third on the team with 11 singles victories, having taken down two nationally ranked players. He has three singles wins in conference play, tied for the second most on the team. The Georgia transfer has played nearly all of his doubles with Schiffman, and together, they have a 12-7 record, typically appearing at the No. 2 doubles position.
Casey holds an undefeated 18-0 record in doubles. He has 24 total wins on the season, as he has six singles wins, playing primarily at the No. 3 slot.
First-year Cooper Han has enjoyed a fruitful start to his college career. Competing in the bottom third of the singles lineup, Han has a 9-6 singles record, as well as a 5-3 doubles record. His nine singles wins are the most by a Northwestern first-year since Presley Thieneman in the 2021 dual season (12).
The Wildcats will seek their first-ever victory over the Trojans (14-6, 6-3 Big Ten), having dropped all of the previous six matches. USC is coming off a weekend in which it swept Penn State 7-0 before narrowly falling to No. 1 Ohio State, 4-3. The Trojans have two nationally ranked singles players in Nathan Trouve (No. 64) and Maxwell Exsted (No. 72). Together, Trouve and Exsted are the No. 80-ranked doubles team nationally.
Northwestern and the Bruins (13-5, 7-2 Big Ten) are matching up for the fifth time in program history, splitting the previous meetings 2-2. The Wildcats fell in the teams' first matchup as conference opponents last season and are eyeing their first victory over UCLA since May 5, 2023, when Northwestern knocked the Bruins out of the NCAA Tournament. This past weekend, UCLA fell to Ohio State 4-0 before defeating Penn State 6-1. The Bruins are led by three nationally ranked singles players: No. 24 Emon Van Loben Sels, No. 52 Spencer Johnson, and No. 86 Rudy Quan. Johnson and Van Loben Sels are the No. 29 doubles team in the country, while Quan and Aadarsh Tripathi rank as No. 49.
This weekend, the Wildcats will seek their first win over a top 30-ranked team since defeating No. 8 Duke on Feb. 4, 2024 inside Combe Tennis Center. Northwestern last defeated a top 30 team on the road on Feb. 5, 2023, defeating No. 25 Duke.
The Wildcats' final regular season match will be on the road against No. 14 Illinois on Saturday, April 18. First serve is set for noon CT.
This past weekend, the Wildcats (15-10, 3-7 Big Ten) swept Purdue 4-0 and notched a comeback 4-3 victory against No. 62 Indiana over Senior Weekend. Junior Cyrus Mahjoob and junior Ethan Schiffman both posted 2-0 records in singles, with Mahjoob clinching both matches. Teaming up in doubles, the two also went 2-0 over the weekend. Northwestern's sweep of the Boilermakers was its first sweep of a Big Ten opponent since the 2023 dual season, and its victory over the Hoosiers marked the team's first ranked win of the season. The weekend marked the first time that the Wildcats have won consecutive contests in conference play this season.
Mahjoob was named Big Ten Player of the Week for his 4-0 weekend. Against Purdue, he posted a 6-4 doubles victory at No. 2 doubles to clinch the match's first point and concluded the match with a 6-4, 6-3 victory at No. 2 singles. On Sunday against Indiana, he moved to the No. 1 slot in both singles and doubles. To open the match, he and Schiffman saved three match points in a 7-6 (8-6) decision in doubles. He then clinched the match after it was tied at three apiece with a 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 singles victory. Mahjoob is the first Wildcat to be named Player of the Week since Presley Thieneman on Feb. 14, 2024.
Northwestern's 15 wins are the third-most in the conference. The Wildcats' 15 wins exceed their totals from the 2023 (10) and 2024 (12) dual seasons. From Jan. 18-Feb. 14, Northwestern held a nine-match winning streak, the program's longest streak since winning nine straight to open the 2017 dual season. The Wildcats now have nine sweeps this season, their most in a campaign since 2023 (9).
Junior Greyson Casey and sophomore Carter Pate are the ITA's No. 18-ranked doubles team in the nation, as they boast an unblemished 17-0 record. They are Northwestern's highest-ranked doubles team since April 21, 2021 (Simen Bratholm and Nick Brookes, No. 17). The third-ranked doubles pairing in the Big Ten, Pate and Casey's 17 wins are the most by a Wildcat duo since Strong Kirchheimer and Dominik Stary won 19 in the 2016-17 season. Pate and Casey are one win away from tying Danny Weiss and Martin Hampe (1984-85) for the 10th most wins by a doubles team in program history. They also currently hold the program's single-season record for win percentage by a doubles team, breaking the record set by Chris Gregersen and Todd Martin in 1988-89 (.929).
Pate, who has competed at the No. 1 slot in both singles and doubles in the majority of his matches, is tied for the most singles wins on the team with 14 (14-8) and leads the team in doubles wins with 18 (18-1). Pate's 32 total wins lead the team and are the most by a Wildcat since Steven Forman had 32 in the 2022 dual season. Pate has 10 wins at No. 1 singles, the most by a Northwestern player at the No. 1 singles spot since the 2023 dual season, when Forman tallied 11 (11-4).
Schiffman — a transfer from Cal — is tied with Pate for the most singles wins on the team (14). Primarily playing at No. 4 singles, Schiffman has a 14-5 record, as his .737 win percentage in singles is the best on the team (min. 10 singles matches). Furthermore, Schiffman has tallied the second-most wins on the team with 28, as he has a 14-7 doubles record. He has a team-best five wins in Big Ten play.
Mahjoob ranks third on the team with 11 singles victories, having taken down two nationally ranked players. He has three singles wins in conference play, tied for the second most on the team. The Georgia transfer has played nearly all of his doubles with Schiffman, and together, they have a 12-7 record, typically appearing at the No. 2 doubles position.
Casey holds an undefeated 18-0 record in doubles. He has 24 total wins on the season, as he has six singles wins, playing primarily at the No. 3 slot.
First-year Cooper Han has enjoyed a fruitful start to his college career. Competing in the bottom third of the singles lineup, Han has a 9-6 singles record, as well as a 5-3 doubles record. His nine singles wins are the most by a Northwestern first-year since Presley Thieneman in the 2021 dual season (12).
The Wildcats will seek their first-ever victory over the Trojans (14-6, 6-3 Big Ten), having dropped all of the previous six matches. USC is coming off a weekend in which it swept Penn State 7-0 before narrowly falling to No. 1 Ohio State, 4-3. The Trojans have two nationally ranked singles players in Nathan Trouve (No. 64) and Maxwell Exsted (No. 72). Together, Trouve and Exsted are the No. 80-ranked doubles team nationally.
Northwestern and the Bruins (13-5, 7-2 Big Ten) are matching up for the fifth time in program history, splitting the previous meetings 2-2. The Wildcats fell in the teams' first matchup as conference opponents last season and are eyeing their first victory over UCLA since May 5, 2023, when Northwestern knocked the Bruins out of the NCAA Tournament. This past weekend, UCLA fell to Ohio State 4-0 before defeating Penn State 6-1. The Bruins are led by three nationally ranked singles players: No. 24 Emon Van Loben Sels, No. 52 Spencer Johnson, and No. 86 Rudy Quan. Johnson and Van Loben Sels are the No. 29 doubles team in the country, while Quan and Aadarsh Tripathi rank as No. 49.
This weekend, the Wildcats will seek their first win over a top 30-ranked team since defeating No. 8 Duke on Feb. 4, 2024 inside Combe Tennis Center. Northwestern last defeated a top 30 team on the road on Feb. 5, 2023, defeating No. 25 Duke.
The Wildcats' final regular season match will be on the road against No. 14 Illinois on Saturday, April 18. First serve is set for noon CT.
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