Thursday, May 16
Orlando, Fla.
5:00 PM
North Carolina
4
vs
2
Ohio State (NCAA Quarterfinals)
Benjamin Sigouin reacts after clinching Thursday's win over the top-seeded Buckeyes.
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
UNC Upsets Top-Seeded Ohio State To Reach Final Four
May 16, 2019 | Men's Tennis
ORLANDO, Fla. – For the second time in program history, North Carolina is headed to the men's tennis final four. Friday at the USTA National Campus, the ninth-seeded Tar Heels took a 3-0 lead then held on for a 4-2 upset of top-seeded Ohio State. Sophomore Benjamin Sigouin capped a pressure-packed evening with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win on Court 2 to clinch the victory.
UNC improves to 22-6 with the win and reached the NCAA semifinals for the second time in the past three years after making the program's first appearance in 2017. That year, playing in Athens, Ga., Carolina finished as the NCAA runner-up.
The Tar Heels will face Atlantic Coast Conference rival and defending NCAA Champion Wake Forest, the No. 4 seed, on Saturday at 4 p.m. in the second of two semifinal matches. The winner moves on to play for the national title on Sunday at 3 p.m.
The doubles point on Thursday came down to Court 3, after OSU won 6-1 on Court 1 and UNC won 6-2 on Court 2. On the third court, Carolina's Simon Soendergaard and Mac Kiger battled Ohio State's John McNally and Hunter Tubert, who came into the match undefeated on the year at 20-0. But the Tar Heels picked up the win, 6-2, to claim the early lead.
UNC won in straight sets on the first two singles courts to finish, with the team's rookie and its most experienced player doing the honors. On Court 4, freshman Brian Cernoch won 6-2, 6-0 over Ohio State's Martin Joyce to make it 2-0 Tar Heels. On Court 5, senior Blaine Boyden beat Alex Kobelt 6-1. 6-3 to put Carolina up 3-0.
The Buckeyes took the next two to finish, with OSU's Kyle Seelig beating Tar Heel junior Josh Peck on Court 3, 6-3, 6-4, and JJ Wolf taking out UNC's William Blumberg on Court 1, 7-5, 6-4.
That left Courts 2 and 6 to decide the match. On Court 2, McNally won four games in a row, but Sigouin kept his composure. Up 5-4 and holding the serve, he delivered a second-serve ace to make it 30-all in the final game. At the same time, Soendergaard was battling in a third set on Court 6. He had just gone up 6-5 when Sigouin won his match.
Top-ranked OSU finished the season with a record of 32-3.
No. 10 UNC 4, No. 1 Ohio State 2
Singles
Order of finish: 4,5,3,1,2
Doubles
Order of finish: 2,1,3
Records: UNC 22-6, OSU 32-3
For the second time in three years, UNC stuns the #1 overall seed to advance to the @NCAATennis Semifinals #GoHeels pic.twitter.com/HLPW9Hcp1x
— UNC Men's Tennis (@carolinatennis) May 17, 2019
UNC improves to 22-6 with the win and reached the NCAA semifinals for the second time in the past three years after making the program's first appearance in 2017. That year, playing in Athens, Ga., Carolina finished as the NCAA runner-up.
The Tar Heels will face Atlantic Coast Conference rival and defending NCAA Champion Wake Forest, the No. 4 seed, on Saturday at 4 p.m. in the second of two semifinal matches. The winner moves on to play for the national title on Sunday at 3 p.m.
The doubles point on Thursday came down to Court 3, after OSU won 6-1 on Court 1 and UNC won 6-2 on Court 2. On the third court, Carolina's Simon Soendergaard and Mac Kiger battled Ohio State's John McNally and Hunter Tubert, who came into the match undefeated on the year at 20-0. But the Tar Heels picked up the win, 6-2, to claim the early lead.
UNC won in straight sets on the first two singles courts to finish, with the team's rookie and its most experienced player doing the honors. On Court 4, freshman Brian Cernoch won 6-2, 6-0 over Ohio State's Martin Joyce to make it 2-0 Tar Heels. On Court 5, senior Blaine Boyden beat Alex Kobelt 6-1. 6-3 to put Carolina up 3-0.
The Buckeyes took the next two to finish, with OSU's Kyle Seelig beating Tar Heel junior Josh Peck on Court 3, 6-3, 6-4, and JJ Wolf taking out UNC's William Blumberg on Court 1, 7-5, 6-4.
Final UNC stuns #1 Ohio St. 4-2 w/Ben Sigouin clinching over John McNally pic.twitter.com/pmIYkAwU0W
— UNC Men's Tennis (@carolinatennis) May 16, 2019
That left Courts 2 and 6 to decide the match. On Court 2, McNally won four games in a row, but Sigouin kept his composure. Up 5-4 and holding the serve, he delivered a second-serve ace to make it 30-all in the final game. At the same time, Soendergaard was battling in a third set on Court 6. He had just gone up 6-5 when Sigouin won his match.
Top-ranked OSU finished the season with a record of 32-3.
The first person to fill out his bracket with UNC's upset over OSU @TheAndyKatz pic.twitter.com/hfmNPRVVp1
— UNC Men's Tennis (@carolinatennis) May 17, 2019
No. 10 UNC 4, No. 1 Ohio State 2
Singles
Order of finish: 4,5,3,1,2
- JJ Wolf (OSU) d. William Blumberg (UNC), 7-5, 6-4
- Benjamin Sigouin (UNC) d. John McNally (OSU). 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
- Kyle Seelig (OSU) d. Josh Peck (UNC), 6,3, 6-4
- Brian Cernoch (UNC) d. Martin Joyce (OSU), 6-2, 6-0
- Blaine Boyden (UNC) d. Alex Kobelt (OSU), 6-1, 6-3
- Hunter Tubert (OSU) vs. Simon Soendergaard (UNC), 6-4, 4-6, 5-6 unfinished
Doubles
Order of finish: 2,1,3
- Wolf/Joyce (OSU) d. Blumberg/Boyden (UNC), 6-1
- Sigouin/Cernoch (UNC) d. Kobelt/Seelig (OSU), 6-2
- Kiger/Soendergaard (UNC) d. McNally/Tubert (OSU), 6-2
Records: UNC 22-6, OSU 32-3
Players Mentioned
/ 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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