Denis Petak Honored as B1G Freshman of the Week
9/23/2026 3:37:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Denis Petak is the first Buckeye to receive B1G Freshman of the Week honors since Brandon Carpico in 2025.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Denis Petak of the Ohio State men's tennis team was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week by the league Wednesday afternoon following his collegiate debut at the ITA All-American Championships.
In singles, Petak posted wins in qualifiers against Ilia Snitari (Texas A&M) 6-4, 6-4 and Matthieu Chambonniere (TCU) 6-4, 7-5 to reach the tournament's main draw. He was the only Big Ten rookie to reach the singles main draw. In doubles, Petak and partner Ilija Palavestra reached the final round of qualifiers by defeating No. 65 Jan Klimas/Nikola Djosic (Arizona State) 7-5, 6-2.
Petak began the season in the ITA Preseason Rankings ranked No. 96 in singles, No. 44 in doubles with Palavestra and No. 11 for ITA Newcomer Rankings. Overall, Petak went 2-0 in singles and 1-1 in doubles for the week of Sept. 18-22, 2026. Petak earning this award marks the first time a Buckeye has been named B1G Freshman of the Week since Brandon Carpico on April 2, 2025.
