Both teams in the NCAA men’s tennis final just barely made it to the end of the tournament.
No. 2 seed Texas had been dominant up until the semifinals, where they were tested and nearly beaten by No. 6 seed TCU. Texas’ top player, Sebastian Gorzny, saved five match points and eventually clinched the 4-3 win.
Contrary to Texas, No. 4 seed Virginia has been shaky all tournament long, with close matches against Columbia and No. 13 seed South Carolina before they even reached the final site. And in the semifinals, Virginia was up against top seed and defending champions Wake Forest—a team they lost to twice this season. Wake Forest went up 3-1 and was on the verge of victory, but Virginia launched a monumental comeback to complete the 4-3 upset.
Both teams in the final have survived up to this point, and it will come down to each individual spot. Virginia has the head-to-head edge over Texas with a 4-1 win early in the season, but many of the matchups are different and could change the outcome of the match.
Doubles
Neither Texas nor Virginia has a particularly dominant doubles point. They don’t have to rely on it—but on the flip side, whichever team gets it will have a massive advantage going into singles.
Virginia’s top doubles spot is the NCAA doubles champions Dylan Dietrich and Mans Dahlberg, one of the strongest teams in the country. But the bottom of the doubles lineup has rarely been able to back them up, and Texas has much stronger depth in doubles. Texas should be able to take the doubles point at the two and three spots.
No. 1 Singles
The No. 1 singles match features two top-three players: No. 1 Virginia’s Dylan Dietrich and No. 3 Texas’ Sebastian Gorzny. Dietrich has been at the top of the college singles rankings for some time, and he showed why during this tournament, defeating two-time NCAA champion Michael Zheng among other high-quality players. Dietrich has been the anchor for his team all season and is only getting better.
Gorzny is coming off a huge win over TCU’s Duncan Chan—another top-10 player—but he hasn’t been as dominant over top players as Dietrich has. It’s hard to see Gorzny being able to take down Dietrich, who has lost only one match this spring season.
No. 2 Singles
Just as monumental as Gorzny’s efforts against TCU was Texas’ Kalin Ivanovski, who won a third-set tiebreak to put Texas within reach of victory. Ivanovski has been clutch for Texas in all the biggest moments of the season.
Virginia’s Keegan Rice has been stellar for his team, providing a one-two punch alongside Dietrich. He can hit just about anyone off the court with his forehand. This will be a pivotal point for both teams, but not an obvious one for either.
No. 3 Singles
This match will be a rematch from Virginia’s earlier defeat of Texas as Virginia’s Jangjun Kim takes on Texas’ Sebastian Eriksson. Both players notched crucial wins for their team in the semifinals and are riding momentum and good form into the final.
In their last match, Kim won handily in straight sets, but a whole season worth of tennis and the conditions in Athens could shake things up. Virginia will be hoping to replicate their past result at this spot and very well could based on Kim’s recent performance, but Eriksson can’t be counted out.
No. 4 Singles
Virginia’s Andres Santamarta Roig was the hero against Wake Forest as he came back from a set and a break down to clinch the match. Santamarta Roig has been somewhat inconsistent down the stretch of the season, but he brought his best tennis when it mattered at the final site.
That said, Texas’ Oliver Ojakaar has never lost in a dual match, and he’s on a streak of three dominant wins over high-quality opponents. Ojakaar wasn’t a factor in Texas’ loss to Virginia back in January, but he has become a staple win for this Texas team, and one that Santamarta Roig will have a tough time trying to beat.
No. 5 Singles
The last two months, Virginia’s Stiles Brockett delivered mixed results. He went unfinished in many matches and took some tough losses. But in the semifinal match against Wake Forest, he notched a huge comeback win that kept Virginia alive. His opponent, Texas’ Abel Forger, doesn’t have the same recent confidence, having won only one match in the NCAA Tournament so far and losing his match against TCU.
Based on recent form, Brockett is the favorite, but both players have been somewhat streaky and unpredictable all season. It’s easy to imagine this match going to three sets, but harder to tell who will win it.
No. 6 Singles
Texas’ Lucas Marionneau and Virginia’s Mans Dahlberg played each other at the four spot in January, with Dahlberg coming away with the win. Now, though, Marionneau has cemented himself as one of the best No. 6 players in the country. A loss against TCU doesn’t negate how important Marionneau has been for Texas, while Dahlberg has at times struggled to put a point on the board for Virginia.
Still, the head-to-head can’t be ignored and neither can Marionneau’s 6-3 6-0 loss in the semifinal. But that was just Marionneau’s fourth loss of the dual match season, while Dahlberg has taken six and Marionneau has 22 dual match wins as opposed to Dahlberg’s 14. Marionneau is primed for revenge, but only if he can find the form he’s had all season–and not the way he played in the semifinal.
Main Photo Credit: Clayton Freeman/Florida Times-Union]