North Carolina’s men’s tennis team achieved its best performance of the season, defeating No. 12 Stanford, 4-2, on Friday at the Chewning Tennis Center. This match was the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams.
The Tar Heels secured the doubles point against the reigning ACC Tournament champions, winning at the No. 1 and No. 2 positions. They went on to take a 3-1 lead after winning two of the first three singles matches, ultimately clinching a significant upset. Carolina managed singles victories at No. 1, 2, and 3.
Due to rain and cold weather, the match was played indoors in Chapel Hill.
Up Next
The Tar Heels will continue their ACC campaign on Sunday, hosting No. 48 California at noon in Chapel Hill.
Match Overview — Doubles
- Roan Jones and Anthony Wright defeated the 12th-ranked duo of Alex Chang and Alex Razeghi at No. 1 doubles to start the match.
- At No. 2, Chris Xu and Logan Zapp clinched the doubles point with a 6-3 win over Nico Godsick and Jagger Leach. They raced to an early 4-0 lead and maintained their advantage.
- In a match that remained unfinished, UNC’s Ian Mayew and Kase Schinnerer were tied at No. 3 doubles with 36th-ranked Mark Krupkin and Hudson Rivera.
Match Overview — Singles
- Zapp and Schinnerer were initially scheduled to compete in the No. 5 and No. 6 singles positions but were replaced by Nick Mangiapane and Wright, respectively.
- Xu dominated at No. 1 singles, winning 6-2, 6-2 against Samir Banerjee, which gave the Tar Heels a 2-0 lead.
- Godsick defeated Wright in straight sets, 6-2, 7-5, narrowing the score to 2-1 for Carolina.
- Mayew captured the No. 3 match against Leach with a score of 6-3, 7-5, extending UNC’s lead to 3-1.
- Mangiapane fought back from a 5-3 deficit but ultimately lost to Razeghi, 6-3, 7-5.
- Jones at No. 2 singles took the third set to a tiebreaker, winning it 7-3 to secure the match for the Tar Heels.
Quotable
“I felt like in the first set, I maintained a good level and that was just enough for him to make mistakes. In the second set, he wasn’t giving me the same opportunities, so I had to trust my game, stay focused on each point, and find ways to use my serve effectively. In the end, I felt slightly braver.”
— Senior Roan Jones
Final Score: North Carolina 4, #12 Stanford 2
Doubles:
- Roan Jones/Anthony Wright (UNC) def. #8 Alex Chang/Alex Razeghi (Stanford), 6-4
- Chris Xu/Logan Zapp (UNC) def. Nico Godsick/Jagger Leach (Stanford), 6-3 (clinching)
- Ian Mayew/Kase Schinnerer (UNC) vs. #36 Mark Krupkin/Hudson Rivera (Stanford), 5-5 (unfinished)
(Order of finish: 1, 2)
Singles:
- Chris Xu (UNC) def. Samir Banerjee (Stanford), 6-2, 6-2
- #115 Roan Jones (UNC) def. #48 Hudson Rivera (Stanford), 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (3)
- #87 Ian Mayew (UNC) def. Jagger Leach (Stanford), 6-3, 7-5
- #92 Alex Chang (Stanford) vs. Constantinos Djakouris (UNC) 6-3, 3-6, 5-4 (unfinished)
- Alex Razeghi (Stanford) def. Nick Mangiapane (UNC), 6-3, 7-5
- Nico Godsick (Stanford) def. Anthony Wright (UNC), 6-2, 7-5
(Order of finish: 1, 6, 3, 5, 2)
