In Ann Arbor, Michigan, University of Michigan men’s tennis redshirt sophomore Max Dahlin captured the first professional singles title of his career Sunday at the M15 Ann Arbor tournament at the Varsity Tennis Center.
Dahlin, the 2026 ITA National Rookie of the Year and a native of Karlstad, Sweden, entered the pro event unseeded despite being the fourth-ranked player in college tennis. He won every set he played and finished with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over TCU’s Oliver Bonding in the championship match on Oct. 4. The title earned Dahlin 15 ATP points, adding to the 22 he earned this summer at the Bonn Challenger.
On the way to the final, Dahlin defeated former Yale player Vignesh Gogineni 6-1, 6-2, former Ohio State player Alexander Bernard 7-5, 7-6 (3), and Columbia freshman Damir Zhalgasbay after Zhalgasbay retired during the second set following a 6-1 first-set loss. In the semifinals, Dahlin beat fellow Wolverine Naoto Tomizawa 6-2, 6-3. Freshman Tomizawa had reached the first singles semifinal of his collegiate career after upsetting top seed John Hallquist Lithen in a three-set quarterfinal that lasted about three and a half hours.
Several Michigan newcomers also posted early wins at the home-court event. Freshman Benjamin Azar advanced past the first round, and two Michigan doubles teams reached the semifinals. Michigan alumnus Bjorn Swenson captured his first professional doubles title as well, teaming with Bernard for a 4-6, 6-1, 10-5 win over the top-seeded pair in the doubles final.
