No. 58 Oregon men’s tennis (10-3, 1-1 Big Ten) is off to a strong start early in its second season in the Big Ten, which will be the real test for the season’s fate.

In 2025, the Ducks went 8-4 to start the season and finished 13-13 overall after going 5-9 in conference play, including the Big Ten Tournament. Oregon opened its Big Ten action on the road against No. 11 Illinois with a crushing 4-0 loss. Its biggest win last season came at home against the then-No. 31 Fighting Illini in a 4-3 upset.

Illinois, though, got its revenge in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament with a 4-1 win to end Oregon’s season. 

A couple of days later, Oregon took on Northwestern, which it beat 4-1 for its first road win of the season. The Ducks also beat the Wildcats 4-1 at home last year and had no trouble doing it again in Evanston. 

The next pair of matches for the Ducks will be March 13 and 15 against Indiana and Purdue, respectively. Last year on the road, they handled the No. 61 Hoosiers 4-1 before falling to the No. 52 Boilermakers two days later. The Ducks have always done better at home, but they will still be battle-tested against ranked opponents.

Over the following two weeks, Oregon will hit the road for three matches that hold significant implications for where the team is headed. The trip begins in Seattle against the Huskies, who crushed Oregon 4-1 in Eugene last year. Then the Ducks travel to face Wisconsin, which they beat 4-2 at home last year for one of their biggest wins. Their next stop will be Nebraska, which narrowly defeated the Ducks in Eugene 4-3 last season.

When Oregon returns home the first weekend of April, it will host Michigan, a team that shut out the Ducks 4-0 in Ann Arbor last year. The Wolverines have seen a bit of a decline this year, dropping from No. 18 after that shutout 2025 win to No. 52,  but they are still ranked above Oregon. Michigan State will come in a couple of days later. Despite losing to the Spartans 4-2 in East Lansing last year, Oregon is the higher-ranked team at the moment.

The next road trip for the Ducks will begin against the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes. OSU took over the Student Tennis Center in Eugene last year with a 4-0 shutout — and has only gotten better. Doing well in this match will easily be Oregon’s biggest challenge of the regular season. 

After that, the Ducks should have an easier match at Penn State. They handled the Nittany Lions at home 4-0 last year. With their reputation of struggling more on the road and a potential hangover from the big match against OSU, this match could be tighter.Finally, the Ducks conclude the regular season at home with matches against UCLA and USC. Both teams gave Oregon trouble last year, as Oregon scored a total of two points between the two matches in Los Angeles. The Bruins and Trojans are playing at a similar level to last season and will certainly give the Ducks a challenge as they make their final push towards the Big Ten Tournament.

Oregon takes on Indiana at home this Friday, March 13 at 5 p.m.