As the clock struck midnight to enter into the wee hours of Sunday morning, Blaine Boyden watched as his shot sailed past Wake Forest’s Alan Gadijev–and lifted the UNC men’s tennis team to its first ever NCAA Final Four.

The sophomore put the finishing touches on a 4-2 upset victory for the ninth-seeded Tar Heels against a Demon Deacon team ranked first in the country.

It was a thrilling finish to a match that lasted over eight hours at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Georgia–thanks to a nearly five-hour rain delay.

UNC led 2-0 in the team score when the skies opened up.

The teams split the first two doubles matches, but the Tar Heels (28-4) clinched the opening point when the team of Ronnie Schneider and Anu Kodali earned a 6-2 win to break the tie.

Senior Jack Murray then made quick work of Wake Forest’s Dennis Kupinsky with a 6-2, 6-0 victory to open up singles play.

Following the long delay, the Demon Deacons (30-3) won the next two points with back-to-back singles victoires.

UNC responded with a 7-5, 7-6 win from freshman William Blumberg–leaving Boyden with a chance to clinch the Final Four on Court Six.

After splitting the first two sets against Gadijev, Boyden powered through for a convincing 6-2 win in the third set.

Tennis may not typically be known for its celebrations, but the Tar Heels rushed the court afterwards–as Boyden ripped off his shirt like Brandi Chastain once did for the U.S. women’s soccer team back in 1999.

The program is headed to a place its never been, while also tying the single-season school record for wins.

“It is a dream come true, honestly,” Boyden said. “Last night, [UNC associate head coach] Tripp Phillips really sat me down and told me, ‘Yesterday, you weren’t the hero, but tomorrow you can bounce back.’

“That is the great thing about our team,” he continued. “We have a bunch of guys that compete and today was the day that I stepped up and sent the team to the semifinals.”

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