University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Advance To Sweet 16 For First Time Since 1993
May 14, 2006 | Men's Tennis
May 14, 2006
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The No. 11-ranked University of North Carolina men's tennis team earned its first berth in the NCAA Sweet 16 since 1993 Sunday afternoon as the Tar Heels defeated 22nd-ranked Clemson 4-1 in the NCAA Tournament second round at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center. This was UNC's first regional championship since the tournament went to this format in 1994.
The victory improved North Carolina to 25-4 this year and equalled the most wins in a season in Tar Heel history, dating back to the first team in 1908. The only other team to win 25 matches was 1992's NCAA quarterfinalist team which finished 25-5.
Carolina claimed a doubles point that was dramatic in nature and then both teams started singles play before a 2:10 rain delay halted play as heavy thunderstorms moved through the Research Triangle Park area. Once play resumed, the Tar Heels needed only about an hour and a half to earn their berth in the Final 16.
Since the NCAA went to a team format tournament in 1977, the Tar Heels have qualified 16 times and this is the third trip as far as the Sweet 16. UNC was an NCAA quarterfinalist in 1992 and a Sweet 16 team in 1993. The NCAA went to a regional format in 1994 and this marked the sixth time UNC had reached a regional final. The Tar Heels had been defeated in regional finals in 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2004.
This season marked the second time the Tar Heels had hosted a regional. UNC also hosted in 2004 at the same No. 11 seed it sported this year. Carolina's opponent in the Sweet 16 will be a familiar one in the Ohio State Buckeyes (27-1). The Buckeyes knocked the Tar Heels out of the NCAA Tournament in 2004 with a 4-3 victory over the Tar Heels in the regional final in Chapel Hill. North Carolina will play Ohio State on Saturday, May 20 at 9 a.m. at the Taube South Courts on the campus of Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif. Ohio State is the No. 6 seed in this year's NCAA Tournament.
North Carolina jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the match after a doubles point which included a plethora of drama on the No. 3 court. At No. 1, UNC's fifth-ranked doubles team of Raian Luchici and Brad Pomeroy dominated Jarmaine Jenkins and Clement Reix 8-3. Clemson was almost equally dominant at No. 2 doubles as Sander Koning and Ryan Young won five of the last seven games of the match to win 8-5. That left court three as the deciding match. Clemson's Paul Koenke and Brett Twente were up two breaks at 6-3 before Derek Porter and Sebastian Guejman won the next three games to equal the score 6-6 and in the process broke Clemson's serve twice. Guejman then was broken in the 13th game while the Tar Heels wasted two game points that could have put them up 7-6. Serving for the match at 7-6, Clemson's Koenke and Twente lost their serve and Porter and Guejman then held serve in the 15th game to lead 8-7. Koenke and Twente then forced the tiebreaker with a win in game 16.
The match to decide the doubles point went to a tiebreaker with Clemson winning the first point and Carolina then winning five points in a row. The Tigers rallied with four straight points to even the tiebreaker at 5-5. But UNC broke Clemson on the 11th point and then won the tiebreaker 7-5 with senior Derek Porter serving on the 12th and deciding point.
Singles started outside for only a brief period of time before a 2:10 rain delay stopped play. When the teams returned to the court at 5:10 p.m. Eastern Time, the Tar Heels seized immediate momentum by winning the first set at five of the six singles matches.
The match ended in dramatic fashion as all four points scored in singles came in a span of only seven minutes. UNC sophomore Sebastian Guejman was the first off the court at 6:36 p.m. as he finished off a 6-2, 6-1 win over the Tigers' Clint Boling. Just three minutes later, No. 30-ranked Clement Reix of Clemson concluded a mild upset of North Carolina's Raian Luchici, ranked No. 10 nationally, 6-4, 6-4 at the No. 1 spot.
With UNC's lead cut to 2-1, senior Derek Porter broke Jarmaine Jenkins of Clemson in the 12th game of the second set to claim a 7-5, 7-5 win that concluded at 6:40 p.m.
All eyes turned to court No. 4 where North Carolina clinched the win as sophomore Benjamin Carlotti defeated Ryan Young 6-4, 6-2. After being broken in the sixth game of the set, Carlotti broke right back and then served for the match, winning on a 40-15 point in the eighth game as his half volley drop shot winner resulted in match point.
Score: No. 11 North Carolina 4, No. 22 Clemson 1
Doubles (pro sets, team winning at least two of three matches earns one team point)
No. 1 #5 Raian Luchici / Brad Pomeroy (UNC) d. Jarmaine Jenkins / Clement Reix (CU), 8-3
No. 2 Sander Koning / Ryan Young (CU) d. Lenny Gullan / David Stone (UNC), 8-5
No. 3 Sebastian Guejman / Derek Porter (UNC) d. Paul Koenke / Brett Twente (CU), 9-8 (7-5)
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Order of Finish: #1, #2, #3
(North Carolina claims doubles point to lead match 1-0)
Singles (best of three sets)
No. 1 #30 Clement Reix (CU) d. #10 Raian Luchici (UNC), 6-4, 6-4
No. 2 Brad Pomeroy (UNC) vs. #94 Sander Koning (CU), 6-3, 3-6, suspended
No. 3 Derek Porter (UNC) d. Jarmaine Jenkins (CU), 7-5, 7-5
No. 4 Benjamin Carlotti (UNC) d. Ryan Young (CU), 6-4, 6-2
No. 5 Sebastian Guejman (UNC) d. Clint Boling (CU), 6-2, 6-1
No. 6 Aly Mandour (UNC) led Brett Twente (CU), 6-4, 1-2, suspended
Order of Finish: #5, #1, #3, #4, others suspended
Records: Clemson 23-10; North Carolina 25-4
Players Mentioned
