Just three days after being named the No. 1 men’s tennis team in the nation, Virginia men’s tennis suffered its first loss of the spring season, falling 5-2 to No. 2 Ohio State Saturday afternoon at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center in Columbus, Ohio.
The Cavaliers (6-1, 0-0 ACC), who moved up to the top spot in the Feb. 4 ITA rankings after holding No. 2 in the Jan. 28 poll, ran into an undefeated Buckeyes squad (7-0, 0-0 Big Ten) that surged from No. 6 in late January to No. 2 this week after defeating then-No. 2 Texas and then-No. 1 Wake Forest last weekend. Ohio State capitalized early, taking the doubles point before securing four singles victories to hand Virginia its first defeat of the spring.
The Buckeyes clinched the doubles points with wins on Courts 2 and 3. On Court 2, the No. 1 Ohio State pairing of sophomore Brandon Carpico and sophomore Nikita Filin controlled play from the baseline, using heavy first serves and sharp poaching at the net to keep No. 23 Virginia senior Mans Dahlberg and sophomore Jangjun Kim on the defensive in a 6-3 victory.
Moments later, the Buckeyes’ No. 8 partnership of juniors Aidan Kim and Bryce Nakashima overwhelmed Cavaliers freshman Andres Santamarta Roig and sophomore Keegan Rice 6-0 on Court 3, dictating points with aggressive returns and clean finishing at the net.
The top doubles match between No. 7 Ohio State senior Alexander Bernard and junior Alex Okonkwo and No. 45 Virginia junior Dylan Dietrich and sophomore Stiles Brockett was left unfinished with the Buckeyes ahead 5-3. The Ohio State pairing relied on quick first strikes and strong serve placement to battle a Virginia duo that has been a consistent and reliable anchor for the doubles lineup this spring, holding a 5-0 record. Saturday’s loss also snapped Virginia’s streak of winning the doubles point, as the Cavaliers had claimed the opening point the past 5 matches prior to facing the Buckeyes.
Singles play opened with Ohio State quickly extending its lead on the lower courts. On Court 5, Bernard used his physical baseline game and heavy forehand to push Dahlberg wide, earning a 6-1, 6-3 win by consistently finishing points with pace.
On Court 6, Buckeyes graduate student Loren Byers mixed depth and variety, keeping Brockett off balance with deep returns and timely approaches for a 6-1, 7-6 (5) victory that put Ohio State ahead 3-0.
Virginia found its first point on Court 3 where Santamarta Roig, who returned to the Line 3 singles position after competing at Line 4 last weekend, absorbed pace well and redirected balls down the line against No. 24 Ohio State senior Jack Anthrop, breaking serve at key moments to secure a 6-4, 6-4 victory.
The Buckeyes responded quickly on Court 2, as No. 22 junior Preston Stearns relied on steady baseline pressure and consistent deep balls to defeat No. 15 Rice 6-4, 6-4.
Ohio State clinched the match on Court 4, where Nakashima’s aggressive shot-making proved decisive. Nakashima struck balls cleanly off of both sides and took balls early to edge Jangjun Kim 6-4, 7-6 (0), closing the second-set tiebreak with authoritative first serves and powerful groundstrokes.
With the team result already decided, No. 2 Dietrich capped the afternoon on the top court with a gritty three-set performance against No. 13 Aidan Kim. Dietrich weathered long rallies and elevated his play in pressure moments, using his serve to his advantage and stepping inside the baseline to take the opening set tiebreak 7-6(3). After dropping the second set, Dietrich stayed calm, finishing the match 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-4 with steady point construction and timely winners.
The dual, though a bitter loss for a Virginia squad that had passed every ranked test with flying colors, highlighted the depth and competitiveness at the top of college men’s tennis. Virginia entered the weekend newly crowned No. 1, while Ohio State’s aggressive play style and success indoors fueled its rapid rise up the rankings.
The Cavaliers will now travel to Dallas, Texas, to compete in the ITA National Team Indoor Championship, scheduled Feb. 13-17. The single-elimination tournament will see 16 of the best programs compete for a midseason title before conference play begins at the end of the month.
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