Tuesday, February 6
Chapel Hill
6:00 PM
North Carolina
4
vs
3
TCU
Freshman Benjamin Sigouin won at No. 1 singles for UNC.
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
UNC Improves To 7-0 With Win Over No. 16 TCU
February 6, 2018 | Men's Tennis
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Playing its third top-20 opponent in a row, the North Carolina men's tennis team improved to 7-0 Tuesday evening with a 4-3 win over No. 16 TCU at Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center. The third-ranked Tar Heels won the doubles point and clinched the win at 4-1 before dropping the last two singles matches to finish.
"This is a very good win for us," UNC coach Sam Paul said afterward. "That's a team that was points away last year from being in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. They're a well-coached, tough team and certainly one of the more talented teams we've had in here. I knew it would be a tough match so I'm very happy to get the doubles point and then win the match."
Next up for the Tar Heels is the ITA National Team Indoor Championship Feb. 16-19 in Seattle.
UNC had dropped the doubles point in its past two matches, but claimed it quickly against TCU. On Court 1, senior Robert Kelly and sophomore William Blumberg won 6-2, and junior Anu Kodali and freshman Benjamin Sigouin sealed it with a 6-3 win on Court 2.
In singles, Blumberg, UNC's No. 1 player, was scratched from the lineup, moving everyone else up a spot. "Will's a little bit banged up so we rested him, gave him the night off," Paul said. "That shows the strength of our team. We have a lot of confidence in all of our guys."
Part of the singles lineup for the first time since UNC's third match of the season, freshman Mac Kiger was quick to finish at No. 6, beating Eduardo Roldan 6-1, 6-2. At No. 5, junior Blaine Boyden also won in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, to put the Tar Heels a point from the win.
After winning his first set, senior Robert Kelly fell in three to Trevor Johnson, putting the Horned Frogs on the board with a win at No. 2.
At No. 1, Sigouin pulled out a 10-8 tiebreaker in the first set and then won the second 7-5 to seal the win.
TCU closed with three-set wins on courts three and four. On the former, junior Simon Soendergaard fell to Guillermo Nuñez, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. The last match standing was at No. 4, where junior Josh Peck fell in a third-set tiebreaker.
No. 3 North Carolina 4, No. 16 TCU 3
Doubles
Order of match finish: (1,2)
1. #3 Blumberg/Kelly (UNC) d. Rybakov/Nuñez (TCU), 6-2
2. Kodali/Sigouin (UNC) d. Stadler/Kruger (TCU), 6-3
3. Soendergarrd/Kiger (UNC) vs. Johnson/Kurzban (TCU), 4-4 UF
Singles
Order of match finish: (6,5,2,1,3,4)
1. Benjamin Sigouin (UNC) d. #31 Alex Rybakov (TCU), 7-6(8), 7-5
2. Trevor Johnson d. #94 Robert Kelly (UNC), 3-6, 6-2, 6-1
3. Guillermo Nuñez (TCU) d. #70 Simon Soendergaard (UNC), 5-7, 6-4, 6-4
4. Reese Stadler (TCU) d. #79 Josh Peck (UNC), 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(6)
5. Blaine Boyden (UNC) d. Bertus Kruger (TCU), 6-1, 6-3
6. Mac Kiger (UNC) d. Eduardo Roldan (TCU), 6-1, 6-2
Records: UNC 7-0, TCU 3-2
Time: 2:40
"This is a very good win for us," UNC coach Sam Paul said afterward. "That's a team that was points away last year from being in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. They're a well-coached, tough team and certainly one of the more talented teams we've had in here. I knew it would be a tough match so I'm very happy to get the doubles point and then win the match."
Next up for the Tar Heels is the ITA National Team Indoor Championship Feb. 16-19 in Seattle.
UNC had dropped the doubles point in its past two matches, but claimed it quickly against TCU. On Court 1, senior Robert Kelly and sophomore William Blumberg won 6-2, and junior Anu Kodali and freshman Benjamin Sigouin sealed it with a 6-3 win on Court 2.
UNC 1 TCU 0 6-2, 6-3, 4-4 Sigouin w/GREAT get pic.twitter.com/LakW1wCi2J
— UNC Men's Tennis (@carolinatennis) February 6, 2018
In singles, Blumberg, UNC's No. 1 player, was scratched from the lineup, moving everyone else up a spot. "Will's a little bit banged up so we rested him, gave him the night off," Paul said. "That shows the strength of our team. We have a lot of confidence in all of our guys."
Part of the singles lineup for the first time since UNC's third match of the season, freshman Mac Kiger was quick to finish at No. 6, beating Eduardo Roldan 6-1, 6-2. At No. 5, junior Blaine Boyden also won in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, to put the Tar Heels a point from the win.
UNC 3 TCU 0 Boyden 6-1, 6-3 over Krueger pic.twitter.com/gDshCiw2w9
— UNC Men's Tennis (@carolinatennis) February 7, 2018
After winning his first set, senior Robert Kelly fell in three to Trevor Johnson, putting the Horned Frogs on the board with a win at No. 2.
At No. 1, Sigouin pulled out a 10-8 tiebreaker in the first set and then won the second 7-5 to seal the win.
Sigouin holds for 6-5 pic.twitter.com/QbM2PczB2J
— UNC Men's Tennis (@carolinatennis) February 7, 2018
TCU closed with three-set wins on courts three and four. On the former, junior Simon Soendergaard fell to Guillermo Nuñez, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. The last match standing was at No. 4, where junior Josh Peck fell in a third-set tiebreaker.
No. 3 North Carolina 4, No. 16 TCU 3
Doubles
Order of match finish: (1,2)
1. #3 Blumberg/Kelly (UNC) d. Rybakov/Nuñez (TCU), 6-2
2. Kodali/Sigouin (UNC) d. Stadler/Kruger (TCU), 6-3
3. Soendergarrd/Kiger (UNC) vs. Johnson/Kurzban (TCU), 4-4 UF
Singles
Order of match finish: (6,5,2,1,3,4)
1. Benjamin Sigouin (UNC) d. #31 Alex Rybakov (TCU), 7-6(8), 7-5
2. Trevor Johnson d. #94 Robert Kelly (UNC), 3-6, 6-2, 6-1
3. Guillermo Nuñez (TCU) d. #70 Simon Soendergaard (UNC), 5-7, 6-4, 6-4
4. Reese Stadler (TCU) d. #79 Josh Peck (UNC), 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(6)
5. Blaine Boyden (UNC) d. Bertus Kruger (TCU), 6-1, 6-3
6. Mac Kiger (UNC) d. Eduardo Roldan (TCU), 6-1, 6-2
Records: UNC 7-0, TCU 3-2
Time: 2:40
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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