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 three-set thriller against LSU’s Ronnie Hohmann by a score of 6-2, 4-6, 7-6–a match that was the longest of any played on Sunday.

Monday’s second-round action will see Blumberg against No. 3 ranked Hady Habib of Texas A&M. Hijikata will take on either Matias Soto of Baylor or Wake Forest’s Eduardo Nava.

This is the first NCAA Singles Championship appearance for Hijikata. Blumberg, meanwhile, is no stranger to this event–having finished as the national runner-up in 2017.

 

Photo via UNC Athletics

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