Sunday saw the UNC men’s tennis team put together its most impressive performance of the season to date, defeating the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in a clean 4-0 sweep in the semifinals of the ITA National Indoor Championships.

Ohio State was the defending champion of the event, which is being held this year in Madison, Wisconsin.

The win was also the 500th career victory for UNC head coach Sam Paul, and the Tar Heels’ fifth victory against ranked competition this season.

After taking the doubles point from the Buckeyes, the Tar Heels (10-0) sealed the deal with victories in singles competition from Rinky Hijikata (6-2, 6-2), Brian Cernoch (6-4, 7-5) and Simon Soendergaard (6-1, 6-2).

Ohio State won only two of the 11 sets completed across all six singles matches, as UNC has now won nine of its 10 matches this season in shutout fashion.

Up Next:

The No. 4 seed Tar Heels will face No. 2 seed USC in Monday’s final with a chance to claim the program’s second national title in this event–and first since 2016.

 

 

 

Photo via UNC Athletics

Related Stories
‹
NCAA Men's Tennis Tournament: No. 9 UNC Upsets No. 1 Ohio State, Advances to Final Four
For the second time in the history of the program, the UNC men’s tennis team is headed to the Final Four. The ninth-seeded Tar Heels took down top-seeded Ohio State on Thursday in Orlando by a score of 4-2 to make it happen. UNC won the doubles point to begin the match, then took a […]
No. 6 Texas Tech Upsets No. 3 UNC in ITA Men's Indoor National Quarterfinals
Any chances of the third-ranked UNC men’s tennis team taking home its second ITA National Indoor title in three years came to a screeching halt Friday evening in Seattle, when the No. 6 Texas Tech Red Raiders rallied for a 4-3 victory over the Tar Heels in the tournament’s quarterfinals. It was the first loss […]
Tar Heels Earn No. 3 Seed for Men's ITA National Indoor Championships
Seedings for the Men’s ITA National Indoor Championships were revealed Wednesday, with head coach Sam Paul’s Tar Heels being placed No. 3 overall. The 16-team event takes place in Seattle from Friday, Feb. 16 through Monday, Feb. 19–and is hosted by the University of Washington. UNC enters with a perfect 7-0 record to this point […]
Top-Ranked Virginia Hands UNC Men's Tennis First Loss of Season in ITA National Indoor Semifinals
Just one day removed from seeing its basketball team demoralized at the hands of the Tar Heels, the top-ranked Virginia men’s tennis team handed No. 5 UNC a demoralizing loss of its own in Sunday’s ITA National Indoor Semifinals. The Cavaliers–playing at home in Charlottesville–made quick work of the Tar Heels, with the scoreboard at […]
UNC's Blumberg Earns 4th Straight NCAA Men's Singles Quarterfinal Appearance
Make it four consecutive appearances in the NCAA Men’s Singles Tournament quarterfinals for UNC senior William Blumberg, as he made quick work of Kentucky’s Gabriel Diallo on Tuesday afternoon in Orlando. The only 10-time All-American in ITA history, Blumberg needed less than an hour to take down the 14th-ranked Diallo in straight sets (6-3, 6-1). […]
William Blumberg, Rinky Hijikata Each Move On in NCAA Men's Singles Championship
Both Tar Heels competing in the NCAA Men’s Singles Championships won their first-round matches on Sunday, as senior William Blumberg and sophomore Rinky Hijikata each earned their places in the Round of 32. Blumberg won his match 6-4, 6-4 against Big Ten Player of the Year Cannon Kingsley of Ohio State, while Hijikata survived a […]
No. 11 Georgia Holds Off Comeback Attempt by No. 6 UNC in NCAA Men's Tennis Tournament Round of 16
The No. 6 seed UNC men’s tennis team made a spirited comeback attempt on Monday in Orlando, before ultimately falling 4-3 to No. 11 Georgia in the NCAA Tournament Round of 16. Georgia (17-6) won the doubles point to begin the match, then went ahead 2-0 with a singles victory from Phillip Henning (6-3, 6-4) […]
Men's Tennis: No. 3 UNC Edges Past Miami
The No. 3 ranked UNC men’s tennis team did just enough on Friday in Chapel Hill, squeaking past Miami by a score of 4-3 after scoring the first four points of the match. After winning the doubles point to take the 1-0 lead, UNC (16-2) then won three consecutive singles matches to clinch the team […]
No. 2 UNC Men's Tennis Claims Rivalry Win Over Duke
Hosting rival Duke on Sunday in Chapel Hill, the No. 2 ranked UNC men’s tennis team breezed to a 6-1 victory despite missing two regular starters. Sophomore Rinky Hijikata and senior Josh Peck were sidelined for the second consecutive match, but once again that had no affect on the powerful Tar Heel lineup. After winning […]
Men's Tennis: No. 2 UNC Rolls to Shutout Victory Over Boston College
The No. 2 ranked UNC men’s tennis team responded from its first loss of the season in a big way on Saturday, rolling to a 7-0 victory in Chapel Hill over Boston College. After winning the doubles point to begin the match, UNC then received singles victories from William Blumberg (6-1, 6-2), Mac Kiger (6-2, […]
›