University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Men's Tennis Inks Talented Trio
November 16, 2023 | Men's Tennis
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—A trio of talented prep players have signed NCAA National Letters of Intent and are set to join the University of North Carolina men's tennis program, head coach Sam Paul announced on Thursday.
Matthew Forbes and Nicholas Mangiapane are two of the top high school players in the state of North Carolina, and Kuang Qing (Chris) Xu has been rated the No. 2 junior player in all of Canada. All three are now Tar Heels who will enroll at UNC for the 2024-25 season.
"We're so excited to have Matthew, Nicholas and Chris join the Carolina tennis family," Paul says. "All three have incredible upside potential to grow as players and leaders for our team. They all come from great families and have been trained by outstanding coaches. They certainly will fit in well at UNC both athletically and academically. We can't wait to help them accomplish great things on and off the court at Carolina."
Forbes (Raleigh, N.C.) is ranked tennisrecruiting.net's No. 5 recruit in the United States from the Class of 2024, earning status as the top recruit in the state of North Carolina and the Southeast region. He has been ranked as high as No. 4 in his class and won the back draw at the USTA U18 National Championships in 2023, finishing fifth in the event. He is currently ranked No. 90 in the world in the ITF World Tennis Tour Junior rankings and has another year to move up the ratings since he will not turn 18 years old until 2024. He reached the second round of the 2023 Junior US Open and is a blue chip recruit by tennisrecruiting.net. He won an ITF J200 in Veracruz and made the finals of ITF J200 in Bogota, as well as making the finals of the prestigious Orange Bowl in the 16-and-under division last December. As a doubles player, he won 2022 '16s Easter Bowl and 2021 national indoor doubles championships. Forbes also is the younger brother of Abbey Forbes, currently a graduate student on the defending NCAA champion UNC women's tennis team. He is coached by Calin Mateas in Durham, N.C.
"I chose UNC because of its reputation of developing players and helping them to reach the next level," Forbes says. "The team environment is unreal, and I can't want to join such a prestigious program."
Mangiapane (Davidson, N.C.) has been ranked as high as No. 19 nationally in the 2024 tennisrecruiting.net national recruiting lists, is the No. 4 recruit in North Carolina and the 10th-best in the Southeast. He is a blue chip recruit by tennisrecruiting.net, currently ranked No. 25 nationally. He has won six USTA balls, including three gold, two silver and a bronze. He has been ranked as high as in the top five in the national doubles rankings by the USTA and won a doubles title at the National Winter Championships L1 in January of 2023. Mangiapane is coached by Cris Robinson at the Robinson Tennis Academy in Greenville, S.C.
"I have been a fan of Carolina tennis for an extremely long time, and I've always wanted to be a part of such a legendary tennis program," Mangiapane says. "I believe that UNC has the best coaching staff in the country, and that they will give me the best chance of reaching my full potential on the tennis court. Also, the chemistry between the team members is unlike any other team I've been around. I can't wait to put on the Carolina Blue and represent this amazing program. Go Heels!"
Xu (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) is a former U18 Canadian Indoor Nationals champion who has been ranked the No. 2 player under the age of 18 in all of Canada. His career-best ITF Junior ranking is No. 163. In 2022, he won the J5 Montreal championship in May and the J3 Quebec City in September. In late October, he qualified and reached the second round of a 25K ITF Futures event in Saint-Augustin, Canada. He also qualified for the 25K in Edmonton the following week. Xu is coached by Fred Niemeyer and Simon Larose in Montreal.
"I am so excited to play for UNC next year," Xu says. "I truly believe that they have the greatest program in the nation, and it will be an honor to represent it. The UNC coaching staff is outstanding, and I have no doubt that with their guidance, it will help me to become a better player and also provide me with the best opportunity to pursue my professional career. I'm pumped to get to work and join the Tar Heel Nation. I will give my all to help the team and achieve our goals! Heels on top!"
About the Tar Heels
The Tar Heels finished 14th in the final 2023 ITA national rankings, their 10th consecutive top-15 finish. Carolina (19-9) tied for third in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings and reached at least the NCAA Championship round of 16 for a ninth consecutive time in 2023.
UNC hosted NCAA Championship matches in Chapel Hill for the ninth straight time, beating Drake and Utah at the beautiful, new Chewning Tennis Center before losing in the Sweet 16 at Texas.
Matthew Forbes and Nicholas Mangiapane are two of the top high school players in the state of North Carolina, and Kuang Qing (Chris) Xu has been rated the No. 2 junior player in all of Canada. All three are now Tar Heels who will enroll at UNC for the 2024-25 season.
"We're so excited to have Matthew, Nicholas and Chris join the Carolina tennis family," Paul says. "All three have incredible upside potential to grow as players and leaders for our team. They all come from great families and have been trained by outstanding coaches. They certainly will fit in well at UNC both athletically and academically. We can't wait to help them accomplish great things on and off the court at Carolina."
Forbes (Raleigh, N.C.) is ranked tennisrecruiting.net's No. 5 recruit in the United States from the Class of 2024, earning status as the top recruit in the state of North Carolina and the Southeast region. He has been ranked as high as No. 4 in his class and won the back draw at the USTA U18 National Championships in 2023, finishing fifth in the event. He is currently ranked No. 90 in the world in the ITF World Tennis Tour Junior rankings and has another year to move up the ratings since he will not turn 18 years old until 2024. He reached the second round of the 2023 Junior US Open and is a blue chip recruit by tennisrecruiting.net. He won an ITF J200 in Veracruz and made the finals of ITF J200 in Bogota, as well as making the finals of the prestigious Orange Bowl in the 16-and-under division last December. As a doubles player, he won 2022 '16s Easter Bowl and 2021 national indoor doubles championships. Forbes also is the younger brother of Abbey Forbes, currently a graduate student on the defending NCAA champion UNC women's tennis team. He is coached by Calin Mateas in Durham, N.C.
"I chose UNC because of its reputation of developing players and helping them to reach the next level," Forbes says. "The team environment is unreal, and I can't want to join such a prestigious program."
Mangiapane (Davidson, N.C.) has been ranked as high as No. 19 nationally in the 2024 tennisrecruiting.net national recruiting lists, is the No. 4 recruit in North Carolina and the 10th-best in the Southeast. He is a blue chip recruit by tennisrecruiting.net, currently ranked No. 25 nationally. He has won six USTA balls, including three gold, two silver and a bronze. He has been ranked as high as in the top five in the national doubles rankings by the USTA and won a doubles title at the National Winter Championships L1 in January of 2023. Mangiapane is coached by Cris Robinson at the Robinson Tennis Academy in Greenville, S.C.
"I have been a fan of Carolina tennis for an extremely long time, and I've always wanted to be a part of such a legendary tennis program," Mangiapane says. "I believe that UNC has the best coaching staff in the country, and that they will give me the best chance of reaching my full potential on the tennis court. Also, the chemistry between the team members is unlike any other team I've been around. I can't wait to put on the Carolina Blue and represent this amazing program. Go Heels!"
Xu (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) is a former U18 Canadian Indoor Nationals champion who has been ranked the No. 2 player under the age of 18 in all of Canada. His career-best ITF Junior ranking is No. 163. In 2022, he won the J5 Montreal championship in May and the J3 Quebec City in September. In late October, he qualified and reached the second round of a 25K ITF Futures event in Saint-Augustin, Canada. He also qualified for the 25K in Edmonton the following week. Xu is coached by Fred Niemeyer and Simon Larose in Montreal.
"I am so excited to play for UNC next year," Xu says. "I truly believe that they have the greatest program in the nation, and it will be an honor to represent it. The UNC coaching staff is outstanding, and I have no doubt that with their guidance, it will help me to become a better player and also provide me with the best opportunity to pursue my professional career. I'm pumped to get to work and join the Tar Heel Nation. I will give my all to help the team and achieve our goals! Heels on top!"
About the Tar Heels
The Tar Heels finished 14th in the final 2023 ITA national rankings, their 10th consecutive top-15 finish. Carolina (19-9) tied for third in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings and reached at least the NCAA Championship round of 16 for a ninth consecutive time in 2023.
UNC hosted NCAA Championship matches in Chapel Hill for the ninth straight time, beating Drake and Utah at the beautiful, new Chewning Tennis Center before losing in the Sweet 16 at Texas.
It's official!
— Carolina Men's Tennis 🐏🎾 (@carolinatennis) November 16, 2023
Welcome to the Carolina tennis family, Matthew, Nicholas & Chris!https://t.co/qBztZcaHx7 pic.twitter.com/gt57ZrPla5
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