No. 5 Virginia men’s tennis opened its spring 2026 dual-match campaign with a dominant road performance, earning back-to-back top-five victories with a 6-1 upset victory over No. 3 TCU Thursday and a 4-1 win over No. 2 Texas Sunday.
Virginia began the weekend in Fort Worth, Texas, where the Cavaliers (2-0, 0-0 ACC) dropped a tightly contested doubles point to open the match, but quickly responded with a dominant sweep of all six singles courts to secure the upset in their first dual match of the year.
The Horned Frogs (1-1, 0-0 XII) claimed the doubles point, taking two of the three matches. On Court 2, TCU No. 23-ranked pairing of senior Cosme Rolland De Ravel and junior Duncan Chan edged Virginia’s sophomore team of Jangjun Kim and Keegan Rice in a 7-6(4) tiebreaker, capitalizing on a handful of mini-breaks late. The Horned Frogs then clinched the point on Court 3, where junior Filip Apltauer and sophomore Albert Pedrico Kravtsov defeated the new doubles combination of freshman Andres Santamarta Roig and senior Douglas Yaffa, 6-3.
Virginia’s top team of senior Mans Dahlberg and junior Dylan Dietrich was locked in a battle on Court 1 against sophomore Cooper Woestendick and freshman Oliver Bonding, with the match left unfinished at 6-6. Woestendick — who won the 2024 Australian Open Junior Boys’ Doubles title and was last season’s Big 12 Freshman of the Year — anchored the TCU pairing at the net, while Dahlberg and Dietrich leaned on strong first serves to stay level.
Trailing 1-0 in the dual, the Cavaliers wasted little time flipping the momentum in singles play. Kim got Virginia on the board with a composed 6-4, 6-4 victory over Bonding on Court 3, using his trademark consistency from the baseline to level the match and set the tone for what followed.
At the top of the lineup, No. 16 Dietrich delivered a statement performance on Court 1, knocking off No. 6 Duncan Chan 6-4, 7-5. Dietrich absorbed Chan’s early pace and gradually took control of extended rallies, closing out both sets with clean service games to give Virginia its first lead of the day, 2-1.
Freshman Andres Santamarta Roig followed with an impressive collegiate debut on Court 4. A former ITF junior world No. 1, Santamarta Roig — who won seven ITF junior titles, including the 2024 Orange Bowl and Eddie Herr International — showed composure against a fairly strong opponent by line four standards. After edging Woestendick in a tense first-set tiebreaker, Santamarta Roig cruised through the second set to extend Virginia’s lead to 3-1.
The clinching point came on Court 2, when No. 29 Rice earned a straight-set victory over No. 45 Rolland De Ravel. Rice dictated play early in both sets, officially sealing the dual match for the Cavaliers and capping a decisive run through the singles lineup.
Virginia continued to add to the final margin after the clinch. Dahlberg rebounded from a first-set loss to defeat Albert Pedrico Kravtsov in a third-set tiebreak on Court 5, while Sophomore Stiles Brockett closed the match with a straight-set 7-6(5), 6-2 win over No. 77-ranked sophomore Roger Pascual Ferra on Court 6.
Following the match, Coach Andres Pedroso praised both teams and the atmosphere in Forth Worth, highlighting the mutual respect between the programs and his longtime friendship with TCU Coach David Roditi, also cracking a joke about the Horned Frogs’ win over the Cavaliers in last season’s NCAA tournament quarterfinal.
“Great environment,” Pedroso said. “Great college tennis match. We played really well. The frogs are always a tough out …You guys got the better match back in May so I’d trade you if you wanted.”
Virginia carried the momentum it earned in Fort Worth into its second match of the weekend, continuing its strong start in the Lone Star State with a 4-1 victory over No. 2 Texas on Sunday afternoon at the Texas Tennis Center to complete the road sweep.
The Longhorns (2-1, 0-0 SEC) struck first in doubles, taking the opening match on Court 3, but Virginia responded while testing new doubles combinations. On Court 2, Dietrich and Brockett — paired together for the first time — earned a 6-3 victory over senior Sebastian Gorzny and freshman Lucas Marionneau, playing aggressively from the baseline and finishing points at the net. The Cavaliers clinched the point on the top court, where Dahlberg and Kim, also competing as a new pairing, secured a composed 6-4 win over freshmen Kalin Ivanovski and Abel Forger to give Virginia a 1-0 lead heading into singles play.
For the second straight match, Kim set the tone in singles, delivering the first point for Virginia with a dominant 6-1, 6-3 victory over No. 25 sophomore Sebastian Eriksson on Court 3 to push the Cavaliers’ lead to 2-0. Kim controlled the tempo from the opening games, putting constant pressure on Eriksson and quickly extending Virginia’s lead.
Texas responded on Court 2, as Forger earned the Longhorns’ lone singles point with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Santamarta Roig. Santamarta Roig competed through the first set, but Forger pulled away late and carried momentum into the second to even the singles slate.
Momentum shifted back to Virginia on Court 1, where Dietrich delivered a pivotal three-set win over No. 39 Gorzny. After dropping the opening set 6-2, Dietrich adjusted his game and took control, winning the second set 6-3 before closing out the match with another 6-3 set to restore Virginia’s advantage.
The clinching point came on Court 4, where Dahlberg sealed the dual match victory. Dahlberg took the first set 6-3 against Marionneau, then battled through a tight second set that went to a tiebreak. Staying composed under pressure, Dahlberg earned a 7-6(5) win in the breaker to clinch the match for the Cavaliers.
“Two solid culture wins for our team [on] this trip to Texas,” Pedroso said. “It’s definitely early in the year so everyone needs to stay humble, but we can’t ask for a better start from a heart, mentality and team culture perspective. Back to work on Tuesday.”
Ranked No. 5 entering the spring, Virginia wasted little time proving the program’s dominance, opening the season with back-to-back victories over higher-ranked opponents in No. 3 TCU and No. 2 Texas. The road sweep served as an early statement for the Cavaliers, highlighting their depth and composure against top-tier competition, with freshman Andres Santamarta Roig making his collegiate debut.
Virginia now turns its focus to ITA Kickoff Weekend in Charlottesville, where the Cavaliers will host Indiana Friday, Jan. 23 at 5 p.m. on the indoor courts at the Boar’s Head Sports Club, looking to build on a strong start in front of the home crowd.
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