No. 45 Oregon men’s tennis (11-3, 2-1 Big Ten) had a 3-0 lead midway through the match, but No. 60 Indiana (6-6, 0-3 Big Ten) had battled all the way back.

With the other matches done and all eyes on Court 5, Lachlan Robertson took the lead to start the third set of his singles match. Facing a deuce in the sixth game, he surged ahead to take a 5-1 lead. His opponent dominated the next game, but Robertson had an answer. You could hear a pin drop as the ball bounced near the line and both teams waited for the final signal. When Robertson was victorious, his teammates rushed his court to celebrate. 

“You just gotta stay composed, stay with it and trust your game,” Robertson said. “I trusted my shots, went after what mattered, and I was going for the big points. That was the difference between winning and losing, especially in a three-all match.”

The Ducks got going early with a 2-0 win in doubles. Matthew Burton and Pierre Mouesca opened their match with a win and kept it going in the rest of their match. Their opponents finally got on the board in the sixth set, but they finished it off with a 6-1 win.

Vlad Breazu and Declan Galligan won their first two games before their opponents came to life. It was close the rest of the way, but the match would go unfinished.

Cameron Burton and Robertson dropped their first game, but responded well in the second to even up the set. Their opponents moved back ahead in game three before Burton and Robertson tied it again in the fourth before taking their first lead in the fifth. They led the rest of the way, winning 6-4 to claim doubles point.

Oregon maintained the momentum to start singles, but the Hoosiers had a lot of gas in their tank.

Burton won his first three games to gain an early advantage on his way to a 6-2 win in the first set. He won the first two games of the second set, which once again set him up to run away with a 6-2 win to claim his match.

In Breazu’s first set, he jumped ahead early and never looked back. His opponent forced a deuce in the fifth game, but Breazu stood strong to go up 5-0. His opponent got one on the board after that, but Breazu finished off the set with a 6-1 win. His opponent opened the second set with a win, but he responded immediately. Despite the slow start, Breazu had no problem regaining the advantage and winning his match with a 6-2 victory.

Sam Olszakowski dropped his first two games before getting on the board. He battled after that, but fell short 6-3 in the first set. Olszakowski fell behind again to start the second set and never stood a chance, losing 6-1 to give the Hoosiers their first point of the match.

Mouesca was in a tight battle early in his first set. His opponent would eventually take a 4-2 lead, but he stayed right with him. They were still tied at five before Mouesca succumbed to a 7-5 defeat. He took the early lead in the second set, but his opponent battled and eventually took a 5-4 lead before claiming their match 6-4 to keep Indiana alive.

Galligan dominated his first set 6-1. He won the first five games before his opponent finally put one on the board, but stood no chance. It was a tougher battle in the second set. Galligan fell behind 3-1 to start before coming back to tie it. His opponent took over from there to even up the match with a 6-3 win. He fell behind in the third set as his emotions got the best of him. Galligan was defeated 6-2 and had to be held back by his teammates after his match.

Robertson won his first two games before his opponent tied it up. He rebounded after that to retake the lead and maintain full control the rest of the set, winning 6-2. Robertson fell behind in the second set. He was defeated 6-4, but rose to the moment in the final set with a 6-2 win to give Oregon the match.

“Anytime you have Lachlan on the court, you feel pretty good,” head coach Nils Schyllander said. “But hats off to Indiana. They could have gone away but they didn’t.”

The Ducks return to action Sunday, March 15, when they host the Purdue Boilermakers at noon.