The most decorated career in UNC men’s tennis history came to an end Wednesday in Orlando, as fifth-year senior William Blumberg fell in the quarterfinals of both the NCAA Singles and Doubles Tournaments.

Blumberg — the No. 35 seed as an individual this season — was defeated first in singles competition, coming up on the wrong end of a 6-4, 6-1 score line against No. 21 ranked Adrian Boitan of Baylor.

“I knew that he’s been the most dominant player in college tennis over the last four or five years,” Boitan said afterwards, about Blumberg. “This whole season, I’ve wanted to play and beat him. Our match at national indoors helped me a lot to learn things about his game and about my game, and what I need to do to put myself in a better spot. Today I felt like I executed the plan really well and got it done.”

Later in the day, Blumberg paired with teammate Brian Cernoch for the quarterfinals in doubles competition.

It was Baylor again that delivered the knockout blow against the No. 3 ranked pairing in the country. The duo of Constantin Frantzen and Sven Lah — ranked No. 9 as a team — outlasted Blumberg and Cernoch by a score of 6-4, 0-6, 10-7.

NCAA Doubles Tournament rules state that a tiebreaker occurs in place of a third set.

Blumberg finishes his UNC career as the only 10-time All-American in ITA history, earning the honor in both singles and doubles competition for each of his five years on campus. An extra year of eligibility was granted to athletes whose seasons were cut short due to COVID-19 in 2020.

He is also the only Tar Heel man or woman to ever advance to four consecutive NCAA Singles Tournament quarterfinals.

As a team, UNC went 21-4 in 2021 and was briefly the No. 1 team in the country after winning the ITA National Indoor Tournament back in February. The Tar Heels lost to Virginia in the ACC Tournament finals and were eliminated by Georgia in the NCAA Team Tournament Round of 16.

Sophomore Rinky Hijikata also made it to the Round of 16 in what was his first career appearance in the NCAA Singles Tournament.

 

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.

Related Stories
‹
Men's Tennis: No. 2 UNC Tops No. 4 Baylor to Claim ITA National Indoor Championship
Much like its women’s counterparts did last weekend, the No. 2 ranked UNC men’s tennis team won the ITA National Indoor championship on Sunday with a 4-1 victory over No. 4 Baylor. The Tar Heels (6-0) won the doubles point without much of a struggle, then received singles victories from the trio of Benjamin Sigouin […]
No. 8 UNC Men's Tennis Shuts Out No. 9 Baylor in First Round of ITA National Indoor Tournament
The eighth-ranked UNC men’s tennis team got its run in the ITA National Indoor Tournament in Chicago off to a flying start on Friday, knocking off the No. 9 Baylor Bears by a score of 4-0. UNC (6-1) jumped out to an early lead by winning the doubles point, before getting singles victories from Mac […]
UNC Women's Tennis Wins, Men Lose in 1st Round of NCAA Tournament
The No. 4 overall seed UNC women’s tennis team cruised in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday at the Chewning Tennis Center in Chapel Hill, defeating Navy 4-0. A pair of 6-1 wins in doubles secured the early 1-0 advantage for Carolina, and the team was just as dominant in singles. Tar […]
UNC Men's and Women's Tennis Teams Both Earn NCAA Tournament Bids
The UNC men’s and women’s tennis teams will each go dancing this spring, as both Tar Heel sides earned bids to the NCAA Tournament on Monday. The women, having earned an automatic bid by virtue of winning the ACC Tournament title, are the No. 4 overall seed in the field and will host Navy in […]
Chansky's Notebook: Common Denominator
It is no coincidence that two terrific UNC programs used their new home facilities to recruit great players and win trophies.
Chansky's Notebook: All Love Weekend
Art Chansky’s Sports Notebook is presented by The Casual Pint. YOUR place for delicious pub food paired with local beer. Choose among 35 rotating taps and 200+ beers in the cooler. The UNC women capped a perfect opening to their new home. The nation’s top-ranked women’s tennis team (31-1) bounced back from its only loss […]
UNC Men's and Women's Tennis Each Headed to NCAA Super Regionals
Both UNC tennis teams punched their tickets to the NCAA super regionals over the weekend at the Chewning Tennis Center in Chapel Hill. The top-ranked women followed up a first-round win against Charleston Southern on Friday with another victory against Old Dominion on Saturday, while the No. 16 overall seed men defeated Drake on Saturday […]
'We're Gonna Build It the Right Way': New UNC Tennis Center Ready For NCAA Action
UNC's new outdoor facility, the Chewning Tennis Center, appears to have everything a collegiate tennis program would want.
UNC Tennis Teams Earn National Seeds in NCAA Championships; Several Individuals Also Qualify
The UNC men’s and women’s tennis teams will both compete in their respective NCAA Championships this month, and both will do so with a national seed. The women’s program earned the No. 1 overall seed for the third season in a row, while the men earned the No. 16 overall seed. The women’s program enters […]
UNC Men's and Women's Tennis Teams Headed to ITA National Championships
Both the UNC men’s and women’s tennis teams won their respective ITA Kickoff events in Chapel Hill over the weekend, meaning both have earned a spot at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in February. The women’s team, still undefeated on the season and ranked No. 2 in the ITA poll, easily defeated Maryland on […]
›