In a match that felt like the swinging back and forth of a pendulum, one that came down to the final set on the final court, No. 7 seed Virginia men’s tennis saw its season end in heartbreak Friday, falling 4-3 to No. 2 seed TCU (26-3, 8-0 Big 12) in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas.
The teams traded blows in a showdown that lasted almost three and a half hours, delivering high-level tennis from the first serve to the final point. For a young Virginia squad, it was a showcase not just of talent, but of the resilient culture that Coach Andres Pedroso preaches as the program’s core.
“There’s a reason why they’re the defending champs, and they hung tough at the very end till the very last point, and just too good from them,” Pedroso said. “But our guys fought like absolute warriors until the very end, and this team stuck together no matter what happened, and that’s what we do. That’s what this program does.”
Virginia (23-8, 9-4 ACC) entered the match as the No. 7 seed but the No. 4-ranked team in the ITA Rankings. The Cavaliers notched 10 wins over top-30 teams this season, including two victories over teams ranked No. 1 at the time, and reached the final eight after a gritty 4-2 win over No. 10 seed Arizona in the round of 16.
The match began with a fiercely contested doubles round. Virginia’s freshman duo of Rafael Jódar and Roy Horovitz struck first, breaking late to win 6-4 at Line 3 doubles and finish the season unbeaten as a pair, at 6-0. But TCU answered quickly, leveling with a 6-4 win at Line 1 over graduate student James Hopper and freshman Keegan Rice. That left the doubles point to be decided at Line 2, where junior Mans Dahlberg and sophomore Dylan Dietrich clawed back from a 0-3 deficit to force a tiebreak. Despite the rally, they came up just short, losing 7-6 (4) and handing the Horned Frogs the opening point.
In singles, Virginia responded with firepower. At Line 2, No. 32-ranked Dietrich was composed, powering past No. 10-ranked senior Pedro Vives 6-3, 6-3 to tie the match at 1-1. It marked Dietrich’s third top-10 win of the season, capping a 24-8 campaign for the Swiss sophomore.
Just moments later, ACC Freshman of the Year Jódar backed up his accolade on the top court. Ranked No. 4 in the country, Jódar gave the Cavaliers a 2-1 lead with a poised 6-4, 6-3 victory over No. 8-ranked junior Jack Pinnington at Line 1. The freshman from Spain finished his debut season with a 19-3 singles record and four top-10 wins, thriving at the top court, leading a Virginia squad that went 20-5 at Line 1 singles this year.
But TCU showed why it is the defending champion. At Line 5, Dahlberg — who had been on a nine-match win streak — fought tooth and nail to extend the season. Down a set and returning at 3-6, 4-5, Dahlberg called his opponent’s serve wide, signaling the ball out. But in a controversial moment, the chair umpire overruled the call, declaring the serve in and awarding the point to TCU. The decision, which came on what would become match point, left Dahlberg stunned and gave TCU the opening needed to seal a 6-3, 6-4 win and level the match at 2-2. Despite the loss, Dahlberg posted 22 wins this season and was a steady presence at Line 5 and 6 singles.
The Horned Frogs seized the momentum at Line 3 singles, where Rice battled back from 3-1 down in the second set against No. 37-ranked senior Lui Maxted, only to be broken at 5-5 and fall 6-4, 7-5, putting TCU back in front, 3-2.
Hopper, competing in the final match of his college tennis career, stepped up when Virginia needed him most. After splitting sets with No. 95-ranked freshman Cooper Woestendick, the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, at Line 4 singles, Hopper broke early in the third set and never looked back, cruising to a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 win to knot the team score at 3-3. With the victory, Hopper closed his career with 107 singles wins and 164 doubles victories.
The match — and the season — came down to freshman Jangjun Kim at Line 6 singles. After dropping a lopsided tiebreak in the first set, Kim came back to dominate the second, 6-1. He broke early in the final set to lead 2-1 and held firm into the late stages, but TCU rallied. TCU broke back to even the set at 4-4, held serve, then broke Kim again to clinch the match, 7-6 (1), 1-6, 6-4 to secure a spot in the Final Four. Kim ended his freshman year with a 16-6 record in dual matches, including an 8-3 mark at Line 5 singles and 6-1 at Line 6 singles, a testament to the depth and development of Virginia's underclassmen.
The narrow loss ended Virginia’s season with a 23-8 record and a place among the nation’s final eight teams for the 18th time in the past 20 NCAA Championships. The Cavaliers, fueled by their rising underclassmen, left it all on the court.
“These guys are carrying on the tradition and the legacy,” Pedroso said. “I’m so proud of them for doing it.”
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