Cardinals Stay Undefeated With First Road Win of Season

Sunday, January 21

Evanston, Ill.

1 p.m.

University of Louisville

Northwestern

Natan Rodrigues celebrates during the game against Notre Dame at the Bass Rudd Center on April 13, 2023.

Photo by: Karthik Kalvakuri | Louisville Athletics

Cardinals Stay Undefeated With First Road Win of Season

January 21, 2024 | Men's Tennis

Box Score

Natan Rodrigues clinches match in 4-3 victory at Northwestern

By: Dana Brown

EVANSTON, Ill. – UofL men's tennis remains undefeated after Sunday afternoon's 4-3 victory at Northwestern. The Cardinals used two come-from-behind, three-set singles wins to clinch the match.

"I'm very proud of how the guys competed today," said head coach Rodrigo da Silva. "To come back from losing five first sets in an away match is amazing. Now, it's time to go back to the drawing board to make sure we don't put ourselves in that situation again."

Louisville 4, Northwestern 3
The first win of the day for the Cardinals came from doubles duo Natan Rodrigues and Etienne Donnet, picking up their second win of the season from the top doubles spot. Will Mayew and Enrique Peña were defeated on Court 2, leaving the doubles point in the fate of Andre' Steinbach and Miguel Avendaño.

The pair got down early 3-1 but continued to fight back, eventually winning their match, and clinching the doubles point, 7-5, for Louisville (3-0). It was the duo's second doubles victory of the season.

Donnet won the first match of singles in straight sets 6-4, 6-1 before Northwestern (0-3) rattled off three consecutive wins on Courts 5, 3 and 6 to go up 3-2 in the match and put pressure on the Cardinals.

Top-60 ranked Mayew bounced back to claim his match on Court 4 7-6, 6-3, 6-3, leaving the clinching match point up to Rodrigues on Court 2.

After falling in his first set 6-7, Rodrigues made a great comeback to win Set 2 on a tiebreaker, forcing a third set. He won the final set handily at 6-2, nearly four hours after the whole match had begun.

The Cards will next travel to Columbia, S.C., to compete in the ITA Kickoff Weekend. Louisville will first face off against LSU on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET before playing either South Carolina or Clemson on Sunday.

Louisville Men's Tennis 4, Northwestern 3
Jan 20, 2024, at Evanston, Ill. | (Combes Tennis Center)
Singles
1. #16 Etienne Donnet (LOU) def. Gleb Blekher (NU) 6-4, 6-1
2. Natan Rodrigues (LOU) def. Presley Thieneman (NU) 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-5), 6-2
3. Saiprakash Goli (NU) def. Andre' Steinbach (LOU) 6-4, 6-1
4. #56 Will Mayew (LOU) def. Felix Nordby (NU) 6-7 (6-8), 6-3, 6-3
5. Greyson Casey (NU) def. Piet Steveker (LOU) 6-4, 6-4
6. Chad Miller (NU) def. Kosuke Nakanishi (LOU) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1

Doubles
1. Natan Rodrigues/Eitenne Donnet (LOU) def. Gleb Blekher/Felix Nordby (NU) 6-1
2. Greyson Casey/Presley Thieneman (NU) def. Will Mayew/Enrique Peña (LOU) 6-3
3. Andre' Steinbach/Miguel Aveñdano (LOU) def. Chad Miller/Owen Megargee (NU) 7-5

Match Notes:
Northwestern 0-3
Louisville Men's Tennis 3-0
Order of finish: Doubles (1, 2, 3); Singles (1, 5, 3, 6, 4, 2)
A-185