Colorado Buffaloes Conclude Milwaukee Tennis Classic with Dominant Wins
GLENDALE, Wis. – On the final day of the 50th anniversary Milwaukee Tennis Classic, Colorado didn’t just finish the weekend. The Buffaloes put a stamp on it.
With the courts at their quietest and the schedule finally thinned out after two heavy days of play, Colorado’s small traveling group delivered two sharp, decisive wins over Wisconsin to close the tournament with authority.
Doubles set the tone
The morning started with the familiar pairing of Lera Alexin and Ema Bubalo, and they wasted little time seizing control.
Facing Wisconsin’s Karolina Jacobson – a Colorado native – and Gabriela Skrabalova, the Buffs duo broke early, taking the opening game and immediately putting the Badgers under pressure. Wisconsin answered for 1-1, but that was as close as it got.
From there, Alexin and Bubalo tightened the screws. They rattled off three straight games, reading returns early, closing at the net, and dictating the pace. At 4-1 up, they briefly let Wisconsin back in at 4-2, then slammed the door, capturing the final two games for a commanding 6-2 win.
It was efficient. It was ruthless. And it handed Colorado the platform it wanted for the last singles match of the weekend.
Ternstroem’s debut grit
With doubles in the bag, all eyes turned to Louise Ternstroem.
The first-year CU player, making her debut for the Buffaloes, was the only Colorado athlete to step into singles action on Sunday. One match, one opponent, one chance to carry the momentum from doubles into a statement finish.
She did exactly that.
Ternstroem started with conviction, taking the ball early and controlling the baseline exchanges to claim the first set 6-3 against Jacobson. The early breakthrough suggested a straightforward afternoon, but Jacobson refused to fold on home soil.
The second set turned into a scrap. Jacobson dug in, extended rallies, and matched Ternstroem’s intensity. Games traded hands, the set tightened, and it pushed all the way to a tiebreak. This time, Jacobson edged it 7-6, dragging the contest into a deciding breaker and testing the composure of the CU newcomer.
That was the moment Ternstroem showed something more than solid shot-making. She showed nerve.
In the match tiebreak, she regrouped, cut out the loose points, and leaned on the aggressive patterns that had worked early. When it mattered most, she steadied, and she finished the job – taking the breaker and the match, officially recorded as 6-3, 6-7, 1-0.
A debut, a three-set battle, and a win over a local favorite. Not a bad first outing in black and gold.
A productive weekend, a bigger test ahead
Over three days in Wisconsin, Colorado’s small squad churned through six doubles and 15 singles matches before Sunday’s lighter slate. Head coach Anthony Pham saw what he wanted: volume, competition, and a group learning how to manage the grind.
By the time Sunday wrapped, the Buffs had exactly what coaches love from an early-season trip – match toughness, a clearer sense of their depth, and momentum.
Now they take it home.
Colorado returns to Boulder this week to sharpen up for the Bedford Cup, set for Sept. 25–27 at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. The Classic is in the books, the debut nerves are gone, and the next measuring stick is already waiting at altitude.
