Dates and Automatic Qualifiers for USTA American Collegiate US Open Wild Card Competition Announced; Babson Surprises Chicago in Division III Women's Semifinals; Rain Pushes Back First Round Singles Monday at ITF J500 in Milan

After covering the NCAA D-I Team Championships in Athens, which was equal parts exhilarating and exhausting, I'm going to need to get some sleep over the next few days, but I'm planning to do a thoughts and observations post in coming days, so stay tuned for that.

I missed a lot that went on in the rest of the tennis world, but as far as results of Americans last week--and there were plenty-- make sure you sign up for the free Substack newsletter Inside American Tennis, introduced by the USTA last month.

This afternoon the USTA announced the dates of its second American Collegiate US Open Wild Card Playoff. Three singles competitors have already earned their spots by their performances at last November's NCAA individual championships: Reese Brantmaier, Michael Zheng, Trevor Svajda in singles and Brandon Carpico and Nikita Filin in doubles. The other two men's and three women's singles participants, as well as three of the men's doubles and all four of the women's doubles participants, will be announced May 27. The full release is below.

American Collegiate Player Wildcard Playoffs Return to USTA National Campus June 16-18

 

Top American Collegiate Players to Compete

for US Open Singles and Doubles Wild Cards

 

ORLANDO, Fla., May 18, 2026 – The USTA today announced that the second annual American Collegiate Player Wildcard Playoffs – featuring the best American men’s and women’s college tennis players competing for six total wild card entries into the US Open – will be played June 16-18 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla.

 

The winners of a four-player men’s and women’s singles playoff and a four-team men’s and women’s doubles playoff will earn US Open main draw singles and doubles wild cards, while the men’s and women’s singles finalists will earn US Open Qualifying wild cards.

All matches will be played at the USTA National Campus’ Collegiate Center each night of the event (Tuesday–Thursday), with start times to be confirmed. Admission is free. Cracked Racquets will provide streaming coverage.

The full player fields will be selected on Wednesday, May 27. Player selections will be determined by a committee made up of USTA staff, college tennis coaches and an ITA representative. This season’s American NCAA singles and doubles champions and finalists earned automatic entry on both sides: men’s singles champion Michael Zheng (Columbia) and finalist Trevor Svajda (SMU); women’s singles champion Reese Brantmeier (North Carolina); and men’s doubles finalists Nikita Filin and Brandon Carpico (Ohio State).

The remaining slots will be filled based on a number of factors, including 2025-26 match record, ITA ranking, ATP/WTA ranking, professional and head-to-head results, and more.

The second-year playoff is part of an expanded NCAA-linked wild card pilot program that guarantees at least six US Open wild cards to American collegiate players each year, coinciding with the NCAA DI Individual Championships shifting to the fall. Last year, both winning doubles teams – Brantmeier and Alanis Hamilton (UNC) and Cooper Williams and Theo Winegar (Duke) – reached the second round at the US Open.

 

American NCAA champions that have previously benefited from the US Open wild card as way to jumpstart their professional careers include Danielle Collins (Virginia – 2014, ‘16); Mackenzie McDonald (UCLA – 2016); Emma Navarro (Virginia – 2021); Ben Shelton (Florida – 2022); and Peyton Stearns (Texas – 2022).

The NCAA women's Division III quarterfinals were played today in Chattanooga Tennessee, with No. 1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps defeating No. 11 Bowdoin 4-0; No. 4 Wesleyan beating No. 14 Washington and Lee 4-0; and No. 3 and defending champion Washington St. Louis defeating No. 8 Carnegie Mellon 4-1. The big upset was No. 5 Babson's 4-0 win over No. 2 Chicago, the 2024 D-III champions.

The men's quarterfinals are Tuesday, also in Chattanooga. All times are Central. 

Cracked Racquets' Alex Gruskin is on the call at NCAA.com.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps[2] v Emory[11] 10:00 a.m.

Denison[4] v Case Western Reserve[5] 10:00 a.m.

Tufts[3] v Swarthmore[8] 1:00 p.m.

Bowdoin[7] v Chicago[1] 1:00 p.m.

Cracked Racquets' Alex Gruskin is on the call at NCAA.com.

Rain kept the first round singles matches from being completed at the ITF J500 Trofeo Bonfiglio in Milan Italy, but several unseeded Americans did pick up wins: Jack Secord, Gavin Goode, Lani Chang and Welles Newman. Seeded Americans Thea Frodin[13], Janae Preston[11, Andy Johnson[5] and Michael Antonius received byes. The other unseeded Americans yet to play their first round matches are qualifier Jordan Lee, Tanishk Konduri, Jordyn Hazelitt and Melije Clarke.

Brazilians Luis Gato Miguel and Victoria Barros are the top seeds.

The ITF's preview is here. Live streaming is available here: https://video.worldtennistourjuniors.com/en

Texas A&M Claims a Second NCAA Title in Yet Another Late Night Finish, Defeating Auburn 4-1

©Colette Lewis 2026--
Athens GA--

The 2026 NCAA Women's Division I Championships will be remembered as Late Night with the Aggies, with No. 4 seed Texas A&M beating No. 2 seed Auburn 4-1 Sunday night in their third straight midnight finish at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.

"The later the better," said head coach Mark Weaver, who actually welcomed the hour long lightning delay shortly after the start of singles. "I was actually pretty excited about the lightning delay, to be honest with you, because I thought it played into our hands more. Auburn's been playing earlier all week and we've played at 10, 11, 12 o'clock at night the past five days, so it just felt like another match."

Texas A&M had lost the doubles point in their past four matches, in the regional final, the Super Regional and in their 4-3 quarterfinal and semifinal victories, so once they collected the 68-minute doubles point with a 7-6(3) win by Lucciana Perez and Mia Kupres over DJ Bennett and Ava Esposito at line 1 Weaver could relax a bit.

"I don't think anyone expected us to win the doubles, but I felt really good about it," Weaver said. "I know that sounds crazy, and I know most people thought we were going to lose five in a row, but I felt like eventually it's got to go your way. I felt really good once we got the doubles; I knew we could find at least three out there."

After the lightning delay, Auburn came out strong, winning three first sets before Texas A&M got one, but the Aggies won the next three and were able to get splits at lines 1 and 6, opening up multiple paths for themselves. 

Violeta Martinez, who clinched the Aggies' 4-3 post-midnight quarterfinal victory over North Carolina, avoided that situation again tonight, delivering the first singles point with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Ashton Bowers at line 5. Angella Okutoyi got the Tigers on the board with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Ilinca Amariei at line 3, but five minutes later Lexington Reed made it 3-1 A&M with a 7-6(5), 6-3 win over Merna Refaat at line 4. 

With Perez taking the second set from Bennett on court 1 and grabbing an early break in the third, the undefeated junior from Peru looked to be heading toward the clinch, despite needing an IV in the wee hours of Sunday morning after her 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3 win over Anastasia Lopata of Georgia sent her team to its third straight NCAA final.

But Daria Smetannikov was also in position to close it out, with the senior from New Jersey breaking on a deciding point to take a 5-4 lead in the third set over Esposito. Smetannikov fell behind 15-40 in the game, but calmly made her way back to another deuce point and when Esposito sprayed a forehand, the celebration could begin.

 

Smetannikov didn't play in Texas A&M's final in 2024, but she credits her coaches for helping her improve enough to become a major contributor to their second title.

"I give a lot of credit to the coaches here," said Smetannikov, who was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. "They've helped me so much to develop my game, from hitting mindlessly to stepping back and being patient, waiting for the right one."

Smetannikov said the repercussions of their long, late, tense quarterfinal and semifinal wins were not physical, as would be expected, but mental.

"The matches this year were so tight and so physical, 4-3, 4-3, so to come into the final after those to matches, as a group we were so pulled together, we were so motivated. After that, we had this confidence in ourselves. Winning this just means so much to us, after the hard work we've put in this entire year."

Weaver was reluctant to compare his team's second title to their first in 2024, but considers this on at least as sweet, given the lack of respect for their prospects after the departure of former ITA No. 1 Mary Stoiana.

"In a lot of ways this one was more enjoyable," Weaver said. "We had a lot more challenges against us this year, a lot more adversity. There was a lot of uncertainty this season, picked fifth in the SEC and I think a lot people probably didn't think we'd make the Sweet 16 this year....just truly heart of champions by the girls, the most resilient group I've ever been around. Grit and determination, playing with heart, truly so proud of this group of young ladies."

Auburn head coach Jordan Szabo, who was the associate head coach in College Station when they won the 2024 title, was also proud of the strides his team made to reach the program's first NCAA quarterfinal, semifinal and final after winning a first SEC title.

"They have nothing to hold their heads down about," Szabo said. "They're the most amazing group of girls, the easiest group of girls I've ever had to coach. They should feel really good about what they achieved. Did we get the long drink of water we wanted at the end of the day? No. But we just didn't play our best match."

Texas A&M[4] 4 Auburn[2] 1

Doubles:

1. Lucciana Perez and Mia Kupres(TAMU) d. Ava Esposito and DJ Bennett(AUB) 7-6(3)

2. Angella Okutoyi and Merna Refaat(AUB) d. Violeta Martinez and Ilinca Amariei(TAM) 6-1

3. Daria Smetannikov and Lexington Reed(TAMU) d. Ekaterina Khayrutdinova and Ashton Bowers(3) 6-1

Order of finish 2, 3, 1

Singles:

1. Lucciana Perez(TAMU) v DJ Bennett(AUB) 2-6, 6-2, 4-3 unf.

2. Mia Kupres(TAMU) v Ekaterina Khatrutdinova(AUB) 7-6(2), 3-6, 1-1, unf.

3. Angella Okutoyi(AUB) d. Ilinca Amariei(TAMU) 6-2, 6-2

4. Lexington Reed(TAMU) d. Merna Refaat(AUB) 7-6(5), 6-3

5. Violeta Martinez(TAMU) d. Ashton Bowers(AUB) 7-5, 6-1

6. Daria Smetannikova(TAMU) d. Ava Esposito(AUB) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4

Order of finish: 5, 3, 4, 6

Dietrich Delivers Virginia's Seventh National Title with a Pulsating 4-3 Win Over Texas

©Colette Lewis 2026--
Athens GA--

Virginia's Dylan Dietrich was one point from going down 4-1 in the third set of the match that would determine the NCAA Division I National Championship Sunday afternoon at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex at the University of Georgia. 

But a deciding point with Texas's Sebastian Gorzny serving at 3-1 turned the tide, with the nation's top-ranked player riding that momentum to a 6-7(1), 6-4, 6-4 victory that gave the fourth-seeded Cavaliers their seventh national title and third in the last five years.

Dietrich had earned the only third set in the match, which Virginia needed after No. 2 seed Texas took the doubles point with wins at lines 2 and 3, with Virginia first claiming the set at line 1.

The teams split first sets in singles, and the first four singles points alternated, with Virginia's Keegan Rice defeating Kalin Ivanovski 6-1, 6-3 at line 2, then Texas's Oliver Ojakaar returning the lead to the Longhorns with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Andres Santamarta at 4. Stiles Brockett drew Virginia even with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Abel Forger at 5, followed by Longhorn Lucas Marionneau's 6-3, 7-5 victory over Mans Dahlberg at line 6.

With Texas up 3-2, Virginia's Jangjun Kim and Texas's Sebastian Eriksson went to a second set tiebreaker, with Kim saving a set point to post a 6-1, 7-6(9) victory.

Dietrich had just won the second set from Gorzny, so when they returned from the 10-minute heat break dictated by higher humidity and temperatures in the low 90s, all the fans, primarily garbed in Virginia blue and orange, made their way behind Court 1as the match approached its fourth hour.

Gorzny, who had clinched the TCU program's first NCAA title in 2024 in the same 3-3 scenario before transferring to Texas, broke Dietrich on a deciding point to take a 3-1 lead.

Dietrich earned three break points with Gorzny serving at 3-1, but Gorzny saved two to force a deciding point. That point had a bit of everything, with Dietrich in control but unable to pass Gorzny, who defended with volley after volley, until finally Dietrich blasted a forehand straight up the middle at Gorzny, who ducked and looked back just in time to see the ball land on baseline, sending the large contingent of Wahoo fans assembled behind the court into a frenzy.

"Honestly, when I got broken for 3-1, it was a lot pressure, it was tough," said the junior from Switzerland, who had a 24-1 record in dual matches this season. "What was going through my mind was that I was playing so well all season and I can not believe that I'm going to lose the most important match of my college career. So I got a little nervous, and I got a little lucky on the deuce point, but after I won the deuce point, it was so much pressure off my shoulders."

Dietrich had to win another deuce point, on his serve, to pull even, but broke again for a 4-3 lead. As the Virginia fans and Dietrich's teammates began the Ole, Ole, Ole, Wahoos, Wahoos chant, Dietrich had his best serving game of the set, hitting four first serves--two service winners and two aces--to take a 5-3 lead. Gorzny, who had saved five match points in his 4-3 clinching win over TCU in the semifinals, saved two in his serving game, but held to force Dietrich to finish it on serve. He ended it on his first match point at 40-30, and the exuberant Virginia celebration, reserved only for championships, began.

Virginia coach Andres Pedroso, who has led the program for 11 years and three of those titles, gave credit to the role of the previous six titles for producing another one this May. 

"I think it's just winning tradition we can draw from and the stories I can tell about the former players, and what they've done to put seven stars on our backs," said Pedroso, referring to the UVA's jerseys. "I don't want to say it's brainwashing, because I really believe it when I tell them, but I make sure they believe when they walk on the grounds of the University of Virginia for the first time, we play our best tennis in May, we are the closest team, and we take pride in that. I give the former players all the credit for that."

One of those former players is Rafael Jodar, who after one season at Virginia, in 2025, is now 29 in the ATP rankings and will be seeded at Roland Garros later this month.

"I'm sure he was watching today for sure," said Dietrich, who was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. "Screaming in Paris, wherever he is."

"He called me this morning," Pedroso revealed. "And said he had plans to go to the movies tonight, and he told his friend, we're not going to the movies, we're watching Virginia tonight."

Texas head coach Bruce Berque credited his team for their growth during the season.

"It seems like forever ago, but there was a time when we were sitting in the Ohio State locker room in Columbus after getting beaten pretty badly, with a 4-3 record," Berque said. "And it seemed like we were so far away from being a championship level program, but the guys took ownership of the team, put in the work, held each other accountable, pushed and fought and improved and competed their way to three out of the four championships(Team Indoor, SEC regular and tournament) they could win, just coming up a point short."

Gorzny, a senior who will be embarking on his pro career this summer, said he would return for a fifth year if he could.

"The goal is to win the NCAAs, but at the end of the day, it's the process that matters," said the 22-year-old from Texas. "Getting better, the highs and lows, enjoying all the moments together. Unfortunately we didn't get it done, and it sucks that I let my team down at the end, but I know I gave it my best all year and I don't have any regrets."

Virginia[4] 4 Texas[2] 3

Doubles:

1. Mans Dahlberg and Dylan Dietrich(UVA) d. Kalin Ivanovski and Abel Forger(TEX) 6-3

2. Sebastian Gorzny and Lucas Marionneau(TEX) d. Andres Santamarta and Jangjun Kim(UVA) 6-4

3. Oliver Ojakaar and Sebastian Eriksson(TEX) d. Stiles Brockett and Keegan Rice(UVA) 6-2

Order of finish: 1, 3, 2

Singles:

1. Dylan Dietrich(UVA) d. Sebastian Gorzny(TEX) 6-7(1), 6-4, 6-4

2. Keegan Rice(UVA) d. Kalin Ivanovski(TEX) 6-1, 6-3

3. Jangjun Kim(UVA) d. Sebastian Eriksson(TEX) 6-1, 7-6(11) 

4. Oliver Ojakaar(TEX) d. Andres Santamarta(UVA) 6-1, 6-4

5. Stiles Brockett(UVA) d. Abel Forger(TEX) 6-4, 6-4 

6. Lucas Marionneau(TEX) d. Mans Dahlberg(UVA) 6-3, 7-5

Order of finish: 2, 4, 5, 6, 3, 1 

Both Top Seeds and Defending Champions Fall After Holding 3-1 Leads in NCAA Division I Team Championships on Historic Semifinal Saturday in Athens

©Colette Lewis 2026--
Athens GA--

Semifinal Saturday delivered not just another day of perfect weather, but three 4-3 thrillers and the exit of both top seeds and defending champions, while a new face will play for its first national title Sunday evening.

The day started with a bang, with No. 2 seed Texas taking out No. 6 seed TCU 4-3, with the match coming down to Sebastian Gorzny and Duncan Chan at line 1.

Chan and Gorzny were teammates in 2024 when Gorzny clinched for the Horned Frogs in their 4-3 win over Texas in the National Championship match in Oklahoma; two days later Gorzny announced he was transferring to Texas, where he has risen to the No. 1 position for the Longhorns in his senior year.

Although that match in Stillwater was certainly dramatic, with TCU's first NCAA title on the line and no other court still going, in today's 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-3, Gorzny arguably topped it, saving two match points with Chan serving at 5-3 40-30 and then three more on his own serve at 5-6, 15-40.

On the deciding point with Chan serving, Gorzny sprinted for a backhand, passing a confidently approaching Chan, while tumbling to the court behind the baseline. Although Gorzny turned it into a celebration, the 22-year-old from Texas admitted that was accidental.

"I got lucky on that little pass, rolled my ankle, and I was out," Gorzny said. "If it wasn't a winner I'd lost the match. But once I got the break back there, I got some more confidence, felt a little better, and started playing better."

Gorzny raised his level again at 15-40, although Chan contributed two errors with a Gorzny service winner sandwiched in between. Gorzny dominated the tiebreaker and took a 3-0 lead in the third, but all that would have been for naught without help from his teammate Kalin Ivanovski.

After TCU had taken the doubles point, Texas got a win from Oliver Ojakaar over Oliver Bonding at line 4 to tie it, and with TCU's Roger Pascual taking a point at line 6 and Texas's Sebastian Eriksson winning at line 3, the score was 2-all with both teams needing two of the three remaining matches. 

All were in third sets, with Gorzny holding the only lead, but TCU's Albert Pedrico closed out Abel Forger to turn the attention to court 2, where Ivanovski was battling with Cosme Rolland De Ravel. While they entered a tiebreaker, Gorzny was saving break points to hold on to his break, and when Ivanovski took a 5-2 lead, Texas's prospects looked good. But Ivanovski lost both his serves to allow Rolland De Ravel back in. The TCU senior missed a forehand wide however to give Ivanovski a match point, and Ivanovski was the recipient of another forehand error to make it 3-all.

"When I saw Gorzny save all those match points, I was at the start of the third set and that really boosted me," said Ivanovski, a freshman from Macedonia. "Seeing him really helped me a lot, changed the momentum and gave me a boost. At the end it was a really tough battle, Cosme's a really good player."

Gorzny said it wasn't his clinch for the NCAA title two years ago that gave him the experience he needed to take control of the match today, but rather a loss during the season.

"Earlier this year I was in a 3-all match against LSU and I was up 5-2 in the third and I ended up losing 5-7," Gorzny said. "I completely choked it. I learned a lot from that match and I actually thought about that and how to handle this moment....I'd never lost a big match up to that moment in my college career, I always came through in the clutch moments, that was the first time when I fell apart and choked. If that didn't happen, maybe I wouldn't have known how to handle my emotions in this moment."

Head coach Bruce Berque commended his team on their comeback from the loss of the doubles point and 3-2 down. 

"We were down and out many times," said Berque. "Most notably Sebastian Gorzny, who saved multiple match points, showing the composure, the resilience and the toughness. Ivanovski was super impressive and to win 1, 2, 3 and 4 against TCU is no small task. I'm really proud of our team."

Texas[2] 4 TCU[6] 3

Doubles:

1. Duncan Chan and Cosme Rolland De Ravel(TCU) d. Kalin Ivanovski and Abel Forger(TEX) 6-3

2. Albert Pedrico and Cooper Woestendick(TCU) d. Lucas Marionneau and Sebastian Gorzny(TEX) 6-3

3. Oliver Ojakaar and Sebastian Eriksson(TEX) d. Oliver Bonding and Maximus Dussault(TCU) 6-2

Order of finish: 1, 3, 2

Singles:

1. Sebastian Gorzny(TEX) d. Duncan Chan(TCU) 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-3

2. Kalin Ivanovski(TEX) v Cosme Rolland De Ravel(TCU) 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(5)

3. Sebastian Eriksson(TEX) d. Cooper Woestendick(TCU) 7-6(3), 6-3

4. Oliver Ojakaar(TEX) d. Oliver Bonding(TCU) 6-1, 6-3

5. Albert Pedrico(TCU) d. Abel Forger(TEX) 7-5, 1-6, 6-2

6. Roger Pascual(TCU) d. Lucas Marionneau(TEX) 6-3, 6-0

Order of finish: 4, 6, 3, 4, 2, 1

As if the first men's semifinal wasn't enough excitement, the second one between top seed and defending champion Wake Forest and No. 4 seed Virginia was also 4-3, the first time in NCAA men's history that both semifinals went the distance.

Although Texas's win required a comeback, it was minor compared with the rally Virginia staged Saturday afternoon. The Cavaliers, like Texas, lost the doubles point, but they also dropped five first sets in singles. After suffering two losses to Wake Forest this year, prospects weren't promising, although head coach Andres Pedroso never doubted his team could come back.

"I told the guys and I told the Atlanta Wahoos in an email yesterday, we lost 4-2 both matches, but we were points away," Pedroso said. "When we left those facilities I said 'guys, if that's the best team in the country, we're right there.' These guys saw it through today. This is a different event, it's a new season, everyone cleans the slate."

Virginia did get the first singles point on the board, with Dylan Dietrich beating DK Suresh at line 1 in three quick sets, before Wake's  Kacper Szymkowiak took out Mans Dahlberg at line 6. When Wake Forest freshman Mees Rottgering beat Keegan Rice at line 2 to make it 3-1, Wake had a chance to wrap up their trip to the final with Aryan Shah serving for the match at line 4 against Andres Santamarta at 6-3, 6-5. But Shah didn't get to match point, Santamarta won the subsequent tiebreaker and the Cavaliers got a breaks at lines 3 and 5 to energize the large contingent of Virginia fans in the auxiliary stands behind courts 4 and 5.

Virginia's Stiles Brockett made it 3-2 with 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-3 win at line 5, and when Jangjun Kim held on a deciding point against Luca Pow at line 3 to take a 5-2 lead in the third, the exhale from the Virginia fans was audible.

Santamarta, who had clinched the Cavaliers 4-1 win over Mississippi State Thursday, looked dialed in down the stretch, and both he and Kim arrived at match point at the same time. Kim converted his first, but wasn't aware of it his teammate's fate, with the bank of seats between courts 3 and 4 blocking his view.

"I didn't even look at the scoreboard," said Kim, a sophomore from Korea. "I didn't know. I just finished my match and ran to Santa's court and it had just finished."

Santamarta had broken for a 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 victory and the muted celebration from the former ITF Junior No. 1 showed the maturity that he's gained in his first semester in Charlottesville.

Pedroso said that comebacks like this one were par for the course this year.

"We've come back from losing five or six sets this year, three or four times, so it doesn't feel that uncomfortable," Pedroso said. "Because we've done it, I know these guys can turn it; we're definitely fit enough, and it's kind of weird, maybe in the past I would have doubted a little bit, but I always feel like these guys have a chance. The longer the match goes, the better these guys get and the tougher they are."

Virginia[4] 4, Wake Forest[1] 3

Doubles:

1. DK Suresh and Andrew Delgado(WAKE) d. Mans Dahlberg and Dylan Dietrich(UVA) 6-3

2. Mees Rottgering and Kacper Szymkowiak(WAKE) d. Andres Santamarta and Jangjun Kim(UVA) 6-4

3. Luca Pow and Aryan Shah(WAKE) d. Stiles Brockett and Keegan Rice(UVA) 5-4, unf.

Singles:

1. Dylan Dietrich(UVA) d. DK Suresh(WAKE) 2-6, 6-0, 6-3 

2. Mees Rottgering(WAKE) d. Keegan Rice(UVA) 6-4, 6-3

3. Jangjun Kim(UVA) d. Luca Pow(WAKE) 7-5, 5-7, 6-2

4. Andres Santamarta(UVA) d. Aryan Shah(WAKE) 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4

5. Stiles Brockett(UVA) d. Joaquin Guilleme(WAKE) 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-3 

6. Kacper Szymkowiak(WAKE) d. Mans Dahlberg(UVA) 6-4, 6-2

Order of finish: 1, 6, 2, 5, 3, 4

The history made with two 4-3 men's semifinals couldn't overshadow what women's No. 2 seed Auburn accomplished throughout this week. In the program's first trip to the quarterfinals, the Tigers have now reached the final, delivering a comprehensive 4-1 victory over No. 3 seed Ohio State Saturday afternoon.

Unlike yesterday, when Auburn won the doubles point but lost five first sets in singles in their 4-1 win over LSU, they came out after a dominant doubles point, got four first sets in singles and never looked back.

Ohio State tied the score with Teah Chavez beating DJ Bennett 6-1, 6-0 in less than an hour on court 1, but Auburn did not relinquish control and in fact accelerated through second sets at lines 6 and 4.

Ava Esposito defeated Alessia Cau 7-5, 6-0 at line 6 to make it 2-1 and both Angella Okutoyi and Merna Refaat were up breaks in their second sets. Okutoyi defeated Sophia Cisse-Ignatiev 6-4, 6-3 at 3, just as Refaat was serving at 6-4, 5-2 against Audrey Spencer at line 4.

Although the freshman from Egypt had not played yesterday, she showed no signs of rust or nerves in that often tense situation, going up 40-0. She netted a forehand on the first match point, but Spencer sent a forehand long on the second, sending Auburn into the final.

When asked if she had any difficulty playing for the first time in today's semifinal, as she was pulled from the lineup Friday, Refaat sounded as relaxed as she looked when serving out the match ten minutes before.

"Not really," Refaat said. "I think it's all mental and for me to think the right things, the right thoughts, and have no doubt, no fear, going for my shots. I feel everyone around me supporting me and believing in me...I didn't feel any nerves or anything."

Although the rise of the Auburn program since Jordan Szabo took the reins two years ago has been a remarkably quick one, the former Texas A&M associate head coach is certain his team will not be satisfied with just reaching the final.

"In the locker room the girls made a vision board, I think that's the term for it, it has 'win the national title,' it doesn't have make the national final," Szabo said. "We're here to win it, and we've been singing that since day one in the fall and the spring and while I'm the coach at Auburn that's what we're going to be shooting for, that's going to be our No. 1 goal. Some years we might not have the team for it, but if you're not shooting for the stars, what are we doing?"

Auburn[2] 4 Ohio State[3] 1

Doubles:

1. DJ Bennett and Ava Esposito(AUB) d. Flora Johnson and Luciana Perry(OSU) 6-3

2. Angella Okutoyi and Merna Refaat(AUB) d. Hephzibah Oluwadare and Teah Chavez(OSU) 6-1

3. Sophia Cisse-Ignatiev and Audrey Spencer(OSU) v Ekaterina Khayrutdinova and Ashton Bowers(AUB) 4-4, unf.

Order of finish: 2, 1

Singles:

1. Teah Chavez(OSU) d. DJ Bennett(AUB) 6-1, 6-0

2. Ekaterina Khayrutdinova(OSU) v Luciana Perry(OSU) 5-7, 5-3, unf.

3. Angella Okutoyi(AUB) d. Sophia Cisse-Ignatiev(OSU) 6-4, 6-3

4. Merna Refaat(AUB) d. Audrey Spencer(OSU) 6-4, 6-2

5. Ashton Bowers(AUB) v Nao Nishino(OSU) 6-2, 6-5, unf.

6. Ava Esposito(AUB) d. Alessia Cau(OSU) 7-5, 6-0

Order of finish: 1, 6, 3, 4

Auburn may have expected to have a rematch with Georgia, given the home crowd advantage the Bulldogs would have Saturday evening and the four-hour match ending after midnight that Georgia's opponent Texas A&M had precious little time to recover from.

But the loud and invested Georgia crowd couldn't rattle the Aggies, who came from 3-1 down to earn a 4-3 victory, with Lucciana Perez fighting through cramps to clinch the match with a 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3 win over Anastasiia Lopata at line 1.

The crowd, a bit smaller than the 2000 in attendance Friday night, was buoyant after Georgia dominated in doubles, but A&M diffused that excitement when they took the first three sets in singles. Georgia won two tiebreakers and a quick first set from Sofia Rojas at line 5 to claim the next three first sets, so Texas A&M would need to force at least one third set somewhere. 

Deniz Dilek made it 2-0 Georgia with a 7-6(3), 6-1 win over Ilinca Amariei, but Mia Kupres put Texas A&M on the board with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Aysegul Mert at line 2. Emma Dong made it 3-1 Georgia with a 7-6(1), 6-1 win over Lexington Reed at line 4, but the Aggies got the split they needed from Friday night's hero Violeta Martinez, who trailed Rojas 6-1, 4-1 before winning six of the next seven games. 

But Lopata was in the process forcing a third set at line 1, with Perez failing to convert her two match points serving at 6-1, 5-3 and Lopata taking advantage of a Perez leg cramp late in the second set to claim the set in a tiebreaker. 

Martinez, showing no signs of fatigue after her post-midnight clinch Friday, closed out Rojas for a 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 win and A&M's Daria Smetannikov was up 4-2 in the third set with her match against Patricija Paukstyte at line 6, with the Aggies needing both that match and a victory from Perez at line 1. 

In the long and brutal rallies, with points routinely decided after more than 30 strokes, it was no surprise that both Perez and Lopata struggled physically at times. Lopata took a medical time out for cramping treatment during the first game of the third set, then took a 3-1 lead over Perez, with the crowd roaring its support. Meanwhile Paukstyte had gotten the break back at line 6, but serving at 4-5, Smetannikov broke her to pull her team even for the first time all night and send all the fans down to the opposite side of the stadium to support Lopata.

After shaking off the cramp late in the second set, Perez didn't panic, continuing to engage in long rallies, and by the seventh game of the final set, Lopata's legs were gone. She was broken at love to go down 4-3 and when Perez took a deciding point to hold for 5-3, Lopata could not summon any energy for a final push, losing the game at love after four unforced errors, with the now somber crowd began making their way to the exits.

"To come back from last night, a four-and-a-half-hour match, or whatever it was, it's just pretty tough," said Texas A&M head coach Mark Weaver, whose team will be playing in its third straight NCAA final. "The girls probably didn't get a proper night's sleep, we got home 1:30 a.m., I slept from 3 to 7, the good news is I don't have to swing the racquets, but a pretty amazing job by them to come back from that marathon last night and a marathon tonight and Georgia has a thousand people behind them yelling and screaming for us to do that, it's just a miraculous effort."

Perez, who is now 28-0 this season and lost just her fourth set of the year tonight, sounded weary yet energized by the effort of her teammates in spite of a partisan crowd.

"We knew this was going to be a battle," said the junior from Peru. "The crowd was amazing, the atmosphere was incredible, but we just fought so hard, and it really showed all the work we have put in this year.”

Weaver will now face his former associate head coach Jordan Szabo, who left for Auburn immediately after Texas A&M had won their first national championship in 2024.

"I'm not surprised," Weaver said of the prospect of facing Szabo so soon with a national championship on the line. "His athletic director called me and asked if Jordan Szabo can win us a national title and I said, yes he could. Jordan's a coach willing to do anything and everything to win. He's in the finals and we're looking forward to a battle tomorrow."

As he left the press conference, Weaver added, "I can explain to you what that means if you like."

Georgia head coach Drake Bernstein was subdued, obviously disappointed that his team would not be playing for a national title Sunday night, but voiced his appreciation for all the support his team has received from the community.

"I think you saw out there tonight how far this team has come, the competitiveness and composure down the stretch," said Bernstein, who led the team to the ITA National Indoor Championship this year. "It’s a big stage and we did everything we could to give ourselves a chance to play one more day in front of the greatest fans in the country and on the greatest stage in the country. Again, really proud of these ladies. I know that this one’s going to sting all of us for a bit, but I hope that in due time we’re all able to look back and smile at these memories and the effort that we laid out there tonight.”

Texas A&M[4] 4 Georgia[1] 3
Doubles:
1. Antastasiia Lopata and Patricija Paukstyte(UGA) d. Mia Kupres and Lucciana Perez(A&M)
2. Denis Dilek and Aysegul Mert(UGA) d. VIoleta Martinez and Ilinca Amariei(TAMU) 6-3
3. Lexington Reed and Daria Smetannikov(TAMU) v Emma Dong and Anastasiia Gureva 5-4, unf.

Order of finish: 1, 2

Singles:
1. Lucciana Perez(TAMU) d. Anastasiia Lopata(UGA) 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3
2. Mia Kupres(TAMU) d. Aysegul Mert(UGA) 6-4, 6-2
3. Deniz Dilek(UGA) d. Ilinca Amariei(TAMU) 7-6(3), 6-1
4. Emma Dong(UGA) d. Lexington Reed(TAMU) 7-6(1), 6-1
5. Violeta Martinez(TAMU) d. Sofia Rojas(UGA) 1-6, 7-5, 6-3
6. Daria Smetannikov(TAMU) d. Patricija Paukstyte(UGA) 6-3, 2-6, 7-5

Order of finish: 3, 2, 4, 5, 6, 1

The men's final is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday, with the women's final set for 7 p.m.

The NCAA finals tournament page is here; live scoring is provided by iOnCourt, with the men's link here and the women's link here.

The finals are being streamed on ESPN+(subscription required). Jill Craybas and Kevin Skinner will be providing commentary for the women's final, with Sam Gore and Luke Jensen calling the men's final.

Texas A&M Women Claim Final Four Spot with Third Set Tiebreaker Win Early Saturday Morning, Face Host Georgia in Semifinals; Auburn and Ohio State Complete Final Four

©Colette Lewis--
Athens GA--

When the digital scoreboard at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex went from 11:59 p.m. to midnight, the fourth semifinalist of the NCAA Division I women's team championships had yet to be decided. 

North Carolina's Anna Frey and Texas A&M's Violeta Martinez were still four games away afrom the tiebreaker that would ultimately determine who would meet defending champion Georgia less than 18 hours later, and with both players receiving medical attention on changeovers for cramping, the tension rose with every point. Martinez, who had already had and lost a team match point an hour earlier in the second set, put that disappointment aside, emerging witha 7-5, 5-7, 7-6(5) victory exactly four hours after the match began.

Head coach Mark Weaver, who has led the Aggie program since 2015, earning its first NCAA title in 2024, was effusive in his praise of the effort from both teams.

"What an exciting match, the level of play was so high from both teams; unfortunately there had to be a winner and there had to be a loser," said Weaver, who has been on the coaching staff at A&M since 1999. "Truly one of the most exciting matches I've ever been a part of; it might be the most exciting match I've ever been a part of. You couldn't ask for more drama out there, high level tennis, girls battling like warriors out there, both struggling with cramps....it truly was one for the ages."

No. 5 seed North Carolina took the doubles point in a tiebreaker, with Reese Brantmeier and Alanis Hamilton beating Lucciana Perez and Mia Kupres 7-6(1) at line 1 after Texas A&M had taken line 2 and North Carolina had won at line 3.

The Tar Heels made it 2-0 with a 6-2, 6-2 win by Ange Oby Kajuru over Mia Kupres at line 2, but Texas A&M countered with the next two points. Lucciana Perez continued her undefeated dual match season, running her record to 27-0 with a 6-3, 6-1 win over 2025 NCAA singles champion Brantmeier at line 1. Ilinca Amariei tied the score with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Tatum Evans, and 15 minutes later, as the scores of fans bundled up against the evening chill, the Aggies' Lexington Reed made it 3-2 with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Maddy Zampardo at line 4.

Texas A&M's Daria Smetannikov had forced a third set in her match with Thea Rabman at line 6, but when Martinez couldn't serve out the match at 7-5, 5-3 and failed to convert her match point on a deciding point with Frey serving in the next game, the Tar Heels still had life.

Martinez refused to let the disappointment of losing that one point alter her mental state.

"It was definitely difficult when I lost that match point, but I couldn't let it affect the next point, the next games," said the senior, who transferred after three years at Illinois prior to the season. "If I held on to that match point I don't think I would have made it out of the match winning. I wanted to stay in the present every single point, try my absolute hardest, and it paid off."

Up 5-3 and serving in the tiebreaker, Martinez made a rare unforced error and Frey tied the score at 5 with a good first serve that Martinez could not return. But it was Frey's turn to make an unforced error to give Martinez her second match point, and when Frey's forehand sailed long, the Aggies were back in the Final Four.

"It's past all of our bedtimes, at least it's past mine, but we'll have to try to get some sleep," Weaver said. "But if you can't get fired up to play the Georgia Bulldogs here in Athens, you might have something wrong with you. It's going to be a great crowd, great electricity, what a fun college environment it is here. We've been in the finals against them in each of the last two years, so why not just do it in the semifinals this year."

Texas A&M[4] 4 North Carolina[5] 3

Doubles:

1. Reese Brantmeier and Alanis Hamilton(UNC) d. Lucciana Perez and Mia Kupres(TAMU) 7-6(1)

2. Violeta Martinez and Ilinca Amariei(TAMU) d. Maddy Zampardo and Susanna Maltby(UNC) 6-4

3. Tatum Evans and Ange Oby Kajuru(UNC) d. Daria Smetannikov and Lexington Reed(TAMU) 6-2

Order of finish: 3, 2, 1

Singles:

1. Lucciana Perez(TAMU) d. Reese Brantmeier(UNC) 6-3, 6-1

2. Ange Oby Kajuru(UNC) d. Mia Kupres(TAMU) 6-2, 6-2

3. Ilinca Amariei(TAMU) d. Tatum Evans(UNC) 6-3, 6-2

4. Lexington Reed(TAMU) d. Maddy Zampardo(UNC) 6-4, 7-5

5. Violeta Martinez(TAMU) d. Anna Frey(UNC) 7-5, 5-7, 7-6(5)

6. Thea Rabman(UNC) d. Daria Smetannikov(TAMU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3

Order of finish: 2, 1, 3, 4, 6, 5

In the other women's quarterfinals Friday, the scores may imply otherwise, but all were close. And none of the women's Division I matches this weekend at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex are likely to have a score as misleading as No. 2 seed Auburn's 4-1 win over No. 10 seed LSU in the first match of the day.

Auburn came from a break down at line 2 doubles to clinch the doubles point, with LSU winning at line 1 and Auburn at line 3.

But if LSU was disappointed, there was no sign of it, as they came out for singles competing on every court, and by the time all first sets were completed, the Tigers had five of them, leaving Auburn with just one. 

Auburn head coach Jordan Szabo admitted he was wasn't sure his team could rebound from that uninspired start.

"You probably don't want to know what was going through my mind," Szabo told Cracked Racquets' Alex Gruskin. "I was thinking are we going home today or tomorrow. No, we have a tremendous group and we've been talking all year long, it's not about playing your best tennis, it's just finding a way to hang in there and respond. I knew if we could just get a couple second sets on the board, we'd be really tough down the stretch."

Auburn responded by getting splits at courts 3, 4, 5 and 6, and getting the second point, with Ekaterina Khayrutdinova closing out the only match that Auburn could win in straight sets. 

Angella Okutoyi made it 3-0 Auburn with a 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over Ella McDonald at line 3, just before Cadence Brace earned LSU's lone point with a hard-earned 6-3, 7-5 win over DJ Bennett at 1. Bennett had trailed 4-0 in the second set before winning the next five games, but she couldn't force a third set.

All attention then turned to courts 4, 5, and 6, called the pit at Georgia, with all three matches in third sets. 

Szabo had chosen to pull Merna Refaat at line 4 for strategic reasons, moving Ashton Bowers and Ava Esposito up a spot to avoid the same matchups they'd had in Auburns 4-3 win over LSU in the SEC conference tournament final. But that left the same matchup at line 6, with freshman Eva Ionescu facing Kinaa Graham.

Ionescu was up a break in the third set, but was unable to serve it out at 5-4, with Graham breaking at love. Ionescu broke Graham at love in the next game, giving herself a second chance to end it, but at 0-30, a third straight break seemed imminent. That's when Ionescu channeled her performance in the third set tiebreaker she won from Graham at the SEC tournament, winning four straight points to send Auburn into its first Final Four.

Ionescu admitted that the stress today was a bit different from that SEC final, where her match was the lone three-setter with the score 3-3 and a full set yet to play.

"For sure it wasn't as much pressure as the SEC final, because Ashton and Ava were still playing, still in the match," said the 18-year-old from Romania, who joined Auburn in January. "I saw that Angie won the match (for the third point), and I said, we need to win this now and prepare for tomorrow, and I did it."

Szabo said that Auburn's depth is a luxury he can't be afraid to utilize.

"Merna's been battling her back since February, but all of our players and I'm sure every player here has got some things, but it was definitely a strategic thing," Szabo said. "I anticipate she'll be back in tomorrow. We lost those matches at 4 and 5 last time...and this made sense to me so I'm just trying to trust my gut, learn as we go. When you've got so many good players, you have to put faith that your players. Everyone is ready to go all the time and whoever we put out there, we expect they will find a way to win."

Auburn[[2] 4 LSU[1] 1

Doubles:

1. Cadence Brace and Kayla Cross(LSU) d. Ava Esposito and DJ Bennett(AUB) 6-4

2. Angella Okutoyi and Merna Refaat(AUB) d. Kenna Erickson and Ella McDonald(LSU) 6-4

3. Ekaterina Khayrutdinova and Ashton Bowers(AUB) d. Carolina Kuhl and Addison Lanton(LSU) 6-3

Order of finish: 3, 1, 2

Singles:

1. Cadence Brace(LSU) d. DJ Bennett(AUB) 6-3, 7-5 

2. Ekaterina Khayrutdinova(AUB) d. Kayla Cross(LSU) 7-6(4), 6-4

3. Angella Okutoyi(AUB) d. Ella McDonald(LSU) 1-6, 6-4, 6-4

4. Addison Lanton(LSU) v Ashton Bowers(AUB) 3-6, 7-5, 4-1 unf.

5. Carolina Kuhl(LSU) v Ava Esposito(AUB) 7-5, 6-7(3), 2-2 unf.

6. Eva Ionescu(AUB) d. Kinaa Graham(LSU) 4-6, 6-0, 7-5

Order of finish: 2, 3, 1, 6

In the second quarterfinal, No. 3 seed Ohio State looked to be cruising to a 4-0 win over Pepperdine in a tidy two and a half hours, and while that was the final score, it got messy for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State won the doubles point with wins at lines 1 and 3, with Pepperdine taking line 2.

The Waves, who had beaten Ohio State 4-0 in March in Malibu, took first sets at lines 5 and 6, but the Buckeyes were dominant at the top three courts and also had a first set at 4. 

Ohio State's Luciana Perry at line 2 and Sophia Cisse-Ignatiev at line 3 posted their points, with Teah Chavez at line 1 holding four match points against Ziva Falkner with Falkner serving at 2-6, 3-5, 0-40. Then the wheels came off for Chavez, as she made four errors to squander those team match points, and lost another on a deciding point with Chavez serving at 5-4. 

When the smoke cleared, Chavez had lost five straight games, with Falkner winning the third set playing solid, error-free tennis while Chavez continued misfire on her forehand. 

Fortunately for Ohio State, Nao Nishino at line 5 and Alessia Cau at line 6 had forced third sets, and Nishino was up 3-0 in the third over Duru Soke. Pepperdine earned a split at line 4 and Chavez went down 3-1 in the third in against Falkner, and when Nishino lost three straight games, the Waves had hope.

Nishino knew that she had to bear down once she saw Chavez struggling to close her match at 1.

"I was very aware, I always look at the scoreboard," said the sophomore from Japan. "I knew it wasn't going her way after she lost 5-3 and it went to 5-4. So I had to reset, but I was very aware. I was just telling myself to play my game, to be aggressive. She's a really good player and I kind of played her game in the first set. I was telling myself to focus on myself and play my game and everything will be fine."

Nishino gained the advantage by breaking at 4-all and took a 40-15 lead, giving the Buckeyes their sixth and seventh team match points. Those too came and went, with Soke hitting two big forehands, one on the far sideline, to save them. On the deciding point, Nishino made her first serve and came up with a big forehand of her own to force an error, posting a 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 win to send Ohio State into the semifinals for the first time since 2017.

Although there are no seniors in the lineup, head coach Melissa Schaub cited the experience of the juniors that were at the 1, 2, 4 and 6  positions today.

"With four juniors out there today competing for us, and a sophomore and a freshman, leadership is very strong on this team," Schaub said. "They're definitely a player-led team and I'm really proud of how they fight and how they compete, and I think they're a good representation of college tennis."

Ohio State[3] 4 Pepperdine[11] 0

Doubles:

1. Flora Johnson and Luciana Perry(OSU) d. Ziva Falkner and Sonja Zhiyenbayeva(PEPP) 6-1

2. Chantal Sauvant and Anastasiia Grechkina(PEPP) d. Hephzibah Oluwadare and Teah Chavez(OSU) 6-2

3. Sophia Cisse-Ignatiev and Audrey Spencer(OSU) d. Duru Soke and Shihomi Leong(PEPP) 6-4

Order of finish: 1, 2, 3

Singles:

1. Ziva Falkner(PEPP) v Teah Chavez(OSU) 3-6, 7-5, 4-2 unf.

2. Luciana Perry(OSU) d. Sonja Zhiyenbayeva(PEPP) 6-1, 7-6(2)

3. Sophia Cisse-Ignatiev(OSU) d. Antastasiia Grechkina(PEPP) 6-2, 6-4

4. Chantal Sauvant(PEPP) v Audrey Spencer(OSU) 3-6, 6-2, 4-0 unf.

5. Nao Nishino(OSU) v Duru Soke(PEPP) 1-6, 6-2, 6-4

6. Alexia Harmon(PEPP) v Alessia Cau(OSU) 6-0, 5-7, 4-3 unf.

Order of finish: 2, 3, 6

The Dan Magill Tennis Complex really got rocking for the third quarterfinal of the day, with perfect weather drawing more than 2000 fans to see the Georgia Bulldogs continue their title defense on their home courts against No. 8 seeds North Carolina State.

The top seeds got off to good start in doubles, with a quick win at line 1 by Anastasiia Lopata and Patricija Paukstyte over the 2025 NCAA doubles champions Victoria Osuigwe and Gabrriella Broadfoot keeping the crowd in their buoyant Friday Happy Hour mood. North Carolina State took a lead at line 2, but Emma Dong and Anastasiia Gureva closed out the point with a 6-4 win at line 3 over Mia Slama and Lavinia Tanasie.

North Carolina State quickly put up three first sets in singles however, and tied the score at 1 with Osuigwe defeating Sofia Rojas at line 5 6-3, 6-2. 

Georgia retook the lead with Lopata beating Mia Slama 6-4, 6-2 at line 1, with the 2024 spring NCAA singles finalist on top of her game in front of the home crowd. And once Mert and Deniz Dilek forced third sets on lines 2 and 3, the die was cast, with a race to the fourth point at lines 3 and 6 with Georgia having big leads on both.  It was Dilek who closed it out, beating Broadfoot 4-6, 7-5, 6-1, and she gave all the credit to the crowd.

"“As a freshman, having the loud crowd with me is the best experience ever," said the 19-year-old from Turkey. "I try to be my best and try to use the crowd as well. Playing in this environment is the best thing ever. There’s nothing else like this at any other school, and I’m very grateful I get to play here every day with my teammates, who are like family.”

Head coach Drake Bernstein, who played for NCAA semifinalist Georgia here in Athens in 2010, knows the energy the hometown fans provide.

"I don't know the seating capacity now compared to what it used to be," Bernstein said, referring to the renovations made to the outdoor courts in 2020. "But [tonight], that was special. Throughout the regular season even, we're having fantastic turnouts here and it just provides a great platform for college tennis in a time when college tennis is trying to find its way. It's awesome to be able to do it in front of a couple of thousand. Tonight I would say ranks up there with all them."

Georgia[1] 4 NC State[8] 1

Doubles:

1. Anastasiia Lopata and Patricija Paukstyte(UGA) d. Gabriella Broadfoot and Victoria Osuigwe(NCST)

6-2

2. Jasmine Conway and Anna Zyryanova(NCST) v Deniz Dilek and Aysegul Mert(UGA) 5-3, unf.

3. Emma Dong and Anastasiia Gureva(UGA) d. Mia Slama and Lavinia Tanasie(NCST) 6-4

Order of finish: 1, 3

Singles:

1. Anastasiia Lopata(UGA) d. Mia Slama(NCST) 6-4, 6-2

2. Aysegul Mert(UGA) d. Anna Zyryanova(NCST) 2-6, 6-3, 6-2

3. Deniz Dilek(UGA) d. Gabriella Broadfoot(NCST) 4-6, 7-5, 6-1

4. Emma Dong(UGA) v Lavinia Tanasie(NCST) 7-5, 6-6, unf. 

5. Victoria Osuigwe(NCST) d. Sofia Rojas(UGA) 6-3, 6-2

6. Patricija Paukstyte(UGA) v Jasmine Conway(NCST) 6-4, 3-6, 5-0 unf.

Order of finish: 5, 1, 2, 3

Saturday's schedule begins with the two men's semifinals, with Texas and TCU facing off at 10 a.m. and Wake Forest and Virginia slated to start at 1 p.m. The Auburn and Ohio State women will play at 4 p.m., with Georgia and Texas A&M scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.

The NCAA finals tournament page is here; live scoring is provided by iOnCourt, with the men's link here and the women's link here.

All matches are being streamed on ESPN+(subscription required). Jill Craybas and Kevin Skinner will be providing commentary for the women's matches, with Sam Gore and Luke Jensen calling the men's matches.

Arkansas Restores Tennis Programs; TCU's 4-3 Win Over Ohio State Highlights Men's Quarterfinal Action in Athens; Wake Forest, Virginia and Texas Reach Final Four; Women's Quarterfinals Begin Friday

©Colette Lewis 2026--
Athens GA--

The good news traveled fast today in the press box of the Dan Magill Tennis Center, with the announcement that the University of Arkansas will restore the men's and women's tennis programs, effective immediately. With over 5 million dollars raised by donors in the community, the athletic department agreed to reinstate the programs for a minimum of two years, as long-term endowment funding is sought to keep the teams alive.  For more on why the previous decision was reversed, see this article from the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

When the first day at the final site ended at 10:30 p.m., the men's quarterfinals had produced three 4-1 decisions and one thriller, with three of the top four seeds advancing to Saturday's semifinals.

The lone exception was No. 6 seed TCU, who is No. 2 in the ITA rankings, but the formula the NCAA uses to seed teams had dropped them four spots, while their opponent Ohio State was No. 3 in both systems. That was the recipe for the 4-3 barnburner that developed, with Duncan Chan outlasting Aidan Kim 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 at line 1 to send his team to the Final Four for the fourth straight year.

TCU dominated the doubles point, getting a 6-0 win at 2 and a 6-4 victory at 3, but Ohio State came out in singles prepared to overcome it. Each team took three first sets in singles, meaning Ohio State had to force a third set somewhere. It was Nikita Filin that gave the Buckeye faithful hope, going up an early break in the second against Oliver Bonding and earning the split. But Chan returned the favor at line 1, and even then, TCU only held the slimmest advantage. TCU went up 2-0 with a win at 6, but Ohio State got the next two points at lines 2 and 4 to tie it. 

Ohio State had a chance to force a third set at line 3, with Jack Anthrop getting a second set break back and putting his match with Cooper Woestendick into a second set tiebreaker, but Woestendick gave TCU a lead when he hit an ace at 6-4, which Anthrop called out, and Woestendick immediately challenged, with the Electronic Line Calling system employed this weekend agreeing that it was an ace, giving TCU a 3-2 lead.

Meanwhile, Bonding had gotten a break in the third to serve for the match against Nikita Filin at line 4, and Chan had come from 3-1 down to make it 3-all at line 1. But there was one more twist, with Filin taking four straight games from 5-3 down for a 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 win to tie it up. By that time, Chan had won his fourth straight game for a 5-3 lead and all eyes turned to Court 1, with Chan serving at 5-3, 30-15. 

Chan said he knew he shouldn't be looking at the scoreboard, but felt he played better once he thought he wouldn't be called on to clinch.

"I have to admit, 3-2, I was down a break and I thought we were going to win, so I started going for my shots," said the junior from Canada, the only player on the team that won the 2024 title. "Roditi doesn't like it when we think our teammates are going to win, but it helped me. I got the break back and I saw Nikita piling on some points, and that helped me too. I have a sense of duty to my team and I just kind of rolled with it."

Chan hit a forehand plus one winner at 30-all but didn't get a first serve in on match point. Yet the work he has been putting in on that shot, especially the second serve, paid off. After missing his first serve, he felt no pressure on the second.

"I have confidence in my second serve, I know I need to accelerate more," Chan said. "When I'm in those situations, I kind of free up a little bit and it helps me hit the corners sometimes and it drops in."

The second serve was a good one, but Kim got a short ball in the rally and approached to the backhand. Chan answered with a backhand pass that sent the Horned Frogs into the jumping circuit celebration.

"I'm really proud of a very young team," said head coach David Roditi. "Where they've come from the beginning of the season to be a part of the Final Four, and to win over Ohio State, one of the best programs, if not the best program, of the last 25 years. I couldn't be happier and I couldn't be more proud."

On Friday, TCU will play Texas in the semifinals, a rivalry that has pushed both programs to new heights.

"We've had so many, I think we're like 6-6 and that's just in the last three years," said Roditi, whose team lost to Texas in this year's Team Indoor and beat them in a non-conference match the following month. "It seems like we always find a way to play each other...so many brutal moments, I'm feisty, he's feisty. I don't even want to think about it. But obviously, it's a fun match, a huge match--Texas - TCU, the big, the little, all that stuff. But right now we're just going to enjoy the win today."

TCU[6] 4 Ohio State[[3] 3

Doubles:

1. Duncan Chan and Cosme Rolland De Ravel(TCU) v Nikta Filin and Brandon Carpico(OSU) 5-4, unf.

2. Cooper Woestendick and Albert Pedrico(TCU) d. Alex Okonkwo and Alex Bernard(OSU) 6-0

3. Oliver Bonding and Maximus Dussault(TCU) d. Bryce Nakashima and Aidan Kim(OSU) 6-4

Order of finish 2, 3

Singles:

1. Duncan Chan(TCU) d. Aidan Kim(OSU) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3

2. Preston Stearns(OSU) d. Cosme Rolland De Ravel(TCU) 6-2, 7-5

3. Cooper Woestendick(TCU) d. Jack Anthrop(OSU) 6-3, 7-6(4)

4. Nikita Filin(OSU) d. Oliver Bonding(TCU) 2-6, 6-3, 7-5

5. Bryce Nakashima(OSU) d. Albert Pedrico(TCU) 6-2, 7-6(6)

6. Roger Pascual(TCU) d. Alex Bernard(OSU) 6-2, 6-2

Order of finish: 6, 2, 5, 3, 4, 1

In the first quarterfinal of the day, No. 2 seed Texas defeated No. 10 Baylor, the only men's team outside the top eight advancing to the final site, 4-1.

The Bears took the doubles point, with an impressive performance at line 1 and a late break at line 3 to grab the momentum. But the Longhorns are no strangers to needing four singles points and they quickly took first sets on four courts, with Texas's Sebastian Gorzny making it five at line 1. Gorzny and Devin Badenhorst finished their first set nearly a half hour later, with Gorzny taking it in the tiebreaker 9-7.

Baylor had one first set at 6 and earned a third set at 5, but Texas had their freshman Lucas Marionneau at line 6, which no doubt was a relief to the Burnt Orange-clad fans supporting him in the "pit." Marionneau clinched Texas's first ITA Team Indoor title in February over Ohio State and its SEC tournament championship last month over Mississippi State, both by 4-2 scores, so he was not a freshman unfamiliar with pressure in big moments, as he again demonstrated with his 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over Calvin Baierl.

"I don't know honestly, but every time it's on me, and I love it, so much confidence in these huge moments," said the 19-year-old from France, who took the advice of compatriot Timo Legout, the former No. 1 at Texas, to explore playing for the Longhorns. "From indoors and then after Mississippi State in the SEC tournament, I don't know, I'm just really happy to be in this moment; we train and live for these moments, so I'm really happy to put this match away."

Texas head coach Bruce Berque wasn't surprised by any of the ups and downs his team experienced this morning.

"It was a pretty typical match in some ways, I was just thinking about it," said Berque, whose team had beaten Baylor 4-0 in the ITA Team Indoor Championships semifinals. "We had a couple of guys play great, we had a couple of guys play bad and we had a couple guys do some of both. That's the most common thing you see in a tennis match. It's not about playing our best tennis, but it's about being composed, about being coachable, about staying connected with each other, showing great enthusiasm and playing hard. I was proud of our team for being able to do that against a very good team today."

Texas[2] 4 Baylor[10] 1

Doubles:

1. Alexandru Chirita and Zsombor Velcz[BAY] d. Abel Forger and Kalin Ivanovski[TEX] 6-3

2. Sebastian Gorzny and Lucas Marionneau[TEX] v Luc Koenig and Connor Van Schalkwyk[BAY] 6-6, 8-7 unf.

3. Calvin Baierl and Devin Badenhorst[BAY] d. Sebastian Eriksson and Oliver Ojakaar[TEX] 7-5

Order of finish: 1, 3

Singles:

1. Sebastian Gorzny[TEX] v Devin Badenhorst[BAY] 7-6(7), 5-6 unf.

2. Kalin Ivanovski[TEX] d. Zsombor Velcz[BAY] 6-3, 6-1

3. Sebastian Eriksson[TEX] d.  Connor Van Schalkwyk[BAY] 6-2, 6-2

4. Oliver Ojakaar[TEX] d. Alexandru Chirita[BAY] 6-3, 6-3

5. Abel Forger[TEX] v Luc Koenig(BAY] 6-2, 3-6, 5-4 unf.

6. Lucas Marionneau[TEX] d. Calvin Baierl[BAY] 3-6, 6-2, 6-2

Order of finish: 2, 3, 4, 6

Defending champion Wake Forest continued their quest for another title Thursday evening, with the top seeds defeating No. 8 seed Arizona 4-1. 

The doubles point was over in less than a half hour, with Wake, who hasn't lost a doubles point since February, getting a 6-0 win at line 2 and a 6-2 victory at line 1.

Freshman Mees Rottgering, who has been a sure point for Wake Forest since he moved up to line 2, gave them a quick 2-0 lead, beating Filip Gustafsson 6-2, 6-1 in under an hour.

Once Wake took four first sets in singles, the outcome appeared to be ordained, but Arizona, playing in the program's first NCAA team quarterfinal, wasn't ready to concede, even after Aryan Shah posted a win at line 5 to make it 3-0.

Arizona's Sasha Rozin gave the Wildcats their first point with a 6-3, 7-5 win at line 3 over Luca Pow, another of Wake Forest's most reliable points. Wake Forest's DK Suresh had a chance to close the door against Jay Friend at line 1, but Friend took a second set tiebreaker, and once Charlie Robertson of Wake lost his second set tiebreaker at line 4, Arizona had a glimmer of hope. 

But by that time Wake's Joaquin Guilleme had turned around his match at line 6. After dropping the first set to Alejandro Arcila 6-0, the sophomore from Nicaragua found his form and ended with the clinch 0-6, 7-5, 6-3.

"It's never easy losing the first set, especially 6-0," Guilleme said. "But my coach told me just try to make balls, try to start winning games. I felt like I never left the match and I won the first game of the second set and that obviously helped a lot, and my teammates and the fans helped me to keep pushing and keep fighting. Luckily tennis is two out three sets."

Head coach Tony Bresky spoke in the press conference about the pressure of defending an NCAA final.

"We talk about that a lot, the pressure is obviously a privilege," said Bresky, whose teams have now reached the Final Four the past three years. "The biggest thing is we try to take the pressure off the guys, I feel our preparation and fitness is top notch, they way the guys practice and they way we treat every match during the season, so hopefully that takes pressure off them. You're not going to be successful in these moments if you want to win too much. You have to have perspective on it and realize it's just tennis and go out and do your best.  The goal is to take as much pressure off them, know they want to win really bad and make them actually want to win a little less."

Wake Forest[1] 4 Arizona[8] 1

Doubles:

1. DK Suresh and Andrew Delgado[WAKE]  Filip Gustafsson and Glib Sekachov[UA] 6-2

2. Mees Rottgering and Kacper Szymkowiak(WAKE) d. Jay Friend and Sasha Rozin[UA] 6-0

3. Cole Stelse and Alejandro Arcila(UA)  v Luca Pow and Aryan Shah(WAKE) 4-3 unf

Order of finish:

2, 1

Singles:

1. Jay Friend(UA) v DK Suresh(WAKE) 6-7(7), 7-6(2), 5-3 unf.

2. Mees Rottgering(WAKE) d. Filip Gustafsson(UA) 6-2, 6-1

3. Sasha Rozin(UA) d. Luca Pow(WAKE) 6-3, 7-5 

4. Charlie Robertson(WAKE) v Zoran Ludoski(UA) 6-3, 6-7(2) unf.

5. Aryan Shah(WAKE) d. Glib Sekachov(UA) 6-4, 6-2

6. Joaquin Guilleme(WAKE) d. Alejandro Arcila(UA) 0-6, 7-5, 6-3

Order of finish: 2, 1, 3, 6

The last quarterfinal saw No. 4 seed Virginia duplicate their 4-1 decision over No. 5 seed Mississippi State in February's ITA Team Indoor quarterfinals, with the Cavaliers setting the tone early in the match with the third dominant doubles point put up by the eventual winners.

Virginia, which had struggled in doubles throughout the season, had found the right combinations in the past three weeks according to head coach Andres Pedroso.

"We've been playing good doubles the last few weeks, we've worked a lot on it and taken a close look at it," Pedroso said. "These guys have been really coachable and we're really organized, we know what are roles are on the doubles court...we feel really good about our doubles, so it's been a very productive three weeks of practice when it comes to that part of our team."

Mississippi State got their only singles point early, with Raphael Vaksmann getting off the court in less than an hour at line 5, but Virginia countered with two straightforward wins from Keegan Rice at line 2 and Dylan Dietrich at line 1. The fourth point proved elusive however, with Virginia's best chance to close it out quickly coming with freshman Andres Santamarta up 3-0 in the second set against Mario Martinez Serrano at line 4.

Martinez Serrano won the next three games however, with neither player gaining an advantage until Santamarta forced a deciding point with Martinez Serrano serving at 4-5. Martinez Serrano came up with a stellar passing shot to save it, and looked to be heading to a third set when he went up 5-2 in the tiebreaker.

That's when the Electronic Line Calling system threw a lifeline to Santamarta however. After Martinez Serrano called Santamarta's ball out, Santamarta challenged the call, and instead of 6-2, the score ended up at 5-4, with ELC showing the ball good. Because Martinez Serrano had already had a call challenged and overturned, he also received a point penalty. Santamarta had his first match point at 6-5, but netted a forehand, and Martinez Serrano was unable to convert his two set points at 7-6, and 8-7. Santamarta got his third match point at 9-8 and Martinez Serrano double faulted to give the Santamarta a 6-2, 7-6(8) victory and send Virginia to a Final Four matchup with Wake Forest.

Santamarta appreciated having access to the Electronic Line Calling system, which may have helped him avoid a third set.

"That made a big difference," said the 19-year-old from Spain, a former ITF Junior No. 1. "I saw the ball in, so that's why I asked the referee if I could check it. Depending on the score, it can be a big change. It's a good thing, I like it, yeah."

Although the top four teams in the ITA rankings have made the Final Four, all of whom have won NCAA titles in the past six years, Pedroso said that favorites will continue to be challenged given the depth in the sport now.

"College tennis is in a really good place, a really good place," Pedroso said. "If you're the four or five team in the country and you play the number 45 or 50 team in the country and lose the doubles point, it's a dogfight. It's a credit to the coaches, how hard they're trying, the athletic departments pouring resources into these programs. I'm so happy to see Arkansas coming back, that's awesome news for our sport. But college tennis is in a great place, it's the best developmental pathway for young men 18, 19, 20 years old who are not quite ready to turn pro, they come to college, they mature, have Top 100 resources, great coaches, amazing people around them. It's the best place for someone not quite ready to play pro tennis."

Virginia[4] 4 Mississippi State[5] 1

Doubles:

1. Mans Dahlberg and Dylan Dietrich(UVA) d. Benito Sanchez Martinez and Michal Novansky(MSST) 6-3 

2. Andres Santamarta and Jangjun Kim(UVA) d. Niccolo Baroni and Mario Martinez Serrano(MSST) 6-2 

3. Petar Jovanovic and Bryan Hernandez Cortes(MSST) v Stiles Brockett and Keegan Rice(UVA) 5-5 unf.

Order of finish: 2, 1

Singles:

1. Dylan Dietrich(UVA) d. Benito Sanchez Martinez(MSST) 6-4, 6-3

2. Keegan Rice(UVA) d. Petar Jovanovic(MSST) 6-3, 6-2

3. Niccolo Baroni(MSST) v Jangjun Kim(UVA) 3-6, 6-3, 4-4, unf.

4. Andres Santamarta(UVA) d. Mario Martinez Serrano(MSST) 6-2. 7-6(8)

5. Raphael Vaksmann(MSST) d. Stiles Brockett(UVA) 6-1, 6-2

6. Mans Dahlberg(UVA) v Bryan Cortes Hernandez(MSST) 4-6, 6-2, 5-4 unf.

Order of finish: 5, 2, 1, 4

The women's quarterfinals begin at 10 a.m. Monday with No. 2 Auburn facing No. 10 seed LSU in a rematch of the SEC tournament final.

Friday's women's quarterfinals:

Auburn[2] v LSU[10] 10 a.m.

Ohio State[3] v Pepperdine[11] 1 p.m.

Georgia[1] v North Carolina State [8] 4 p.m.

Texas A&M[4] v North Carolina[5] 7 p.m.

The NCAA finals tournament page is here; live scoring is provided by iOnCourt, with the men's link here and the women's link here.

All matches are being streamed on ESPN+(subscription required). Cracked Racquets will be providing the commentary for the women's quarterfinals.