MTEN Wins Thriller Over NCSU, 4-3, To Reach ACC Semis

ROME, GA.— Brian Cernoch won the clincher as third-seeded North Carolina advanced to the semifinals of the 2022 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship with a suspense-filled, 4-3 win over sixth-seeded NC State on Friday at the Rome Tennis Center.

Cernoch, ranked 33rd nationally, beat No. 91 Rafa Izquierdo Luque in a long, three-set match at No. 1 singles to send the Tar Heels to the ACC semifinals for the seventh consecutive year. Cernoch won the match 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (5-7) and 6-3. He lost the first three games of the third set, then rallied to win six straight games over a cramping Luque.

Carolina will meet 10th-seeded Georgia Tech, which upset No. 2 seed Wake Forest, 4-2, on Friday. Earlier this month on April 3, UNC beat the Yellow Jackets, 7-0, in Chapel Hill.

UNC started the afternoon by winning the doubles point. Benjamin Sigoin and peter murphy continued their hot play of late at No. 3, winning 6-3 over Braden and Collin Shick. Casey Kanya and logan zapp then clinched the doubles point with a 6-4 win oer Robin Catry and Yannai Barkai, 6-4.

With the Tar Heels leading, 1-0, entering singles action, Zapp made it 2-0 with a 6-2, 6-2, straight set win at No. 4 over Luca Staeheli. Not long thereafer, Sigouin Carolina ahead, 3-0, with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Martins Rocens at No. 2.

The Wolfpack made things interesting with three consecutive wins at No. 3 singles over mac kigerNo. 6 over Murphy and No. 5 over Anuj Watane to tie the score at 3-3. Cernoch then outlasted Luque in the clincher.

Carolina beat the Wolfpack for the second time in a week, having also beaten NCSU, 4-3, on April 17 in the regular season finale in Raleigh after losing a non-conference, indoor meeting in Chapel Hill in February.
 

Tennis Match Results
NC State vs. North Carolina 04/22/22 at Rome, Ga. (Rome Tennis Center)
#17 North Carolina 4, #20 NC State 3

singles competition
1. #33 Brian Cernoch (NC) def. #91 Rafa Left Luque (ST) 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (5-7), 6-3
two. Benjamin Sigoin (NC) def. Martins Rochens (ST) 6-1, 6-3
3. #113 Robin Catry (ST) def. mac kiger (NC) 6-3, 6-2
Four. logan zapp (NC) def. Luca Staeheli (ST) 6-2, 6-2
5. Damien Salvestre (ST) def. Anuj Watane (NC) 6-4, 7-6 (7-3)
6. Braden Shick (ST) def. peter murphy (NC) 6-4, 7-5

Doubles competition
1. #8 Brian Cernoch/mac kiger (NC)vs. #43 Martins Rocens/Fons Van Sambeek (ST) 5-5, unfinished
two. Casey Kanya/logan zapp (NC) def. Robin Catry/Yannai Barkai (ST) 6-4
3. Benjamin Sigoin/peter murphy (NC) def. Braden Shick/Collin Shick (ST) 6-3

Match Notes:
NC State 18-9; National ranking #20
North Carolina 15-7; National ranking #17

Order of finish: Doubles (3.2); Singles (4,2,3,6,5,1)

ACC Men’s Tennis Championship, Match 9

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