After a pair of hard fought wins by a score of 4-2–one over No. 10 Georgia on Friday, and another over No. 4 Cal on Saturday–the fifth-ranked UNC men’s tennis team inched closer to defending its ITA National Indoor Championships title.

Playing in Charlottesville, Virginia, junior Robert Kelly clinched the Tar Heels’ place in the tournament semifinal with a three-set singles victory (6-4, 4-6, 6-2) over Cal’s Florian Lakat.

To get there, all they had to do was go through a pair of teams that were each in the Final Four during last year’s NCAA Tournament.

The win over Georgia in Friday’s first round allowed the Tar Heels to get a bit of revenge as well, since the Bulldogs were the team that eliminated UNC in the Quarterfinals of that event.

Although Georgia and Cal became the first two teams to take the doubles point from the Tar Heels this year, head coach Sam Paul’s team advanced each time on the strength of four singles victories–most notably a 6-3, 7-6 win by Ronnie Schneider (ranked No. 16 in the country) over Georgia’s Wayne Montgomery (No. 15) on Friday.

UNC has now won 10 straight matches to open its 2017 campaign, with a second consecutive ITA Indoor title well within reach.

Sunday’s semifinal against the winner of Virginia and UCLA will ultimately determine who goes on to Monday’s championship match.

Related Stories
‹
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: Tar Heels Down Georgia, Advance to Sweet 16
A 4-1 victory over the No. 18 Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center in Chapel Hill earned the 10th-ranked UNC men’s tennis team a spot in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the sixth year in a row. UNC (20-6) took the doubles point to begin the match, before receiving […]
Boyden Clinches First NCAA Title Game Appearance for UNC Men's Tennis, Tar Heels Knock Off Georgia in Final Four
Blaine Boyden did it again. Monday saw the UNC men’s tennis sophomore put the finishing touches on yet another historic victory for the program–as the No. 9 Tar Heels defeated the No. 12 Georgia Bulldogs by a team score of 4-3 in the NCAA Semifinals. The match was played in on Georgia’s campus at the […]
UNC's Schneider Named ITA Indoor MVP
UNC men’s tennis player Ronnie Schneider has been named the Most Valuable Player of the ITA National Indoor Team Championship. The ITA announced the award Thursday. The junior was joined by fellow junior Jack Murray on the 2016 ITA All-Tournament Team. Schneider is the number 23 ranked singles player in the nation and was 4-0 […]
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.
›