The Daily Tar Heel
Printing news. Raising hell. Since 1893.
Thursday, March 28, 2024 Newsletters Latest print issue

We keep you informed.

Help us keep going. Donate Today.
The Daily Tar Heel

Men's tennis opens season with wins over Georgetown, North Carolina A&T

After an impressive 2015 campaign, the North Carolina men’s tennis team looked to start 2016 strong with a pair of victories over Georgetown and North Carolina A&T.

And with a 6-0 win over the Hoyas and a 6-1 victory over the Aggies during Saturday's doubleheader at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center, the ninth-ranked Tar Heels did just that.

UNC jumped out to an early 1-0 lead over Georgetown, as sophomore Robert Kelly and senior Brett Clark helped seize the doubles point with a 6-1 victory on Court No. 1.

The nation's top-ranked doubles tandem won both of its matches on Saturday, earning a 6-0 win over North Carolina A&T's Arun Chapero and Nicolas Ardur later in the day.

In singles, the Tar Heels increased their lead over the Hoyas to 3-0 with victories by Kelly and junior Jack Murray, meaning one more win would hand UNC its first victory of the season. 

The most competitive match of the game — and perhaps the entire day — was between Schnur and Georgetown’s Dan Khanin. 

The two opponents played to a 6-6 tie in the first set before Schnur defeated Khanin 7-0 in the tiebreaker. Schnur then clinched the match for the Tar Heels in the second set with a 6-3 win. 

After beating Georgetown, UNC opened its match against North Carolina A&T by once again claiming the doubles point.

Clark pushed the Tar Heels' lead to 2-0 with a 6-0, 6-1 win in singles play. Murray picked up his second win of the day moments later before senior Stuart DePaolo sealed the victory with a 6-1, 6-0 win at Court No. 4.

Quotable

“We've got to get sharper. We've got to have better shot selection, better concentration, and that’s about it. We have to get these first-round jitters or whatever out of the way and keep getting better every day.” — Coach Sam Paul on his team’s performance on Saturday.

Notable

During singles play against Georgetown, an errant ball from Schnur’s court hit a light above Court No. 2, damaging the light and leaving it dangling from the ceiling. The light couldn't be fixed, and play was eventually suspended on Court No. 2.

Three numbers that matter

3: UNC first-years Blaine Boyden, Anudeep Kodali and Arturo Schmidt all participated during Saturday's matches, and all three players secured a singles win. 

1: In his first match for the Tar Heels, Schmidt — who joined the team at the start of the spring semester — earned a 6-1, 6-0 win over Chapero.  

12: North Carolina won 12 of its 13 matches on Saturday, as senior Connor Daly's loss to North Carolina A&T's John Wilson IV was the only match the Tar Heels dropped all day.

What's next?

The Tar Heels host Indiana at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday as a part of the International Tennis Association Kickoff Weekend. UNC will then play N.C. State or Drexel in either the consolation match or the championship match on Sunday.

@BrandonWhite95

sports@dailytarheel.com

To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.