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The Daily Tar Heel

Consistency of doubles duo propels UNC to victory

The doubles duo of Brett Clark and Robert Kelly have proven to be effective leaders on the court for the North Carolina men’s tennis team (18-1, 3-1 ACC) so far this season. 

In Sunday’s eventual 5-2 rout of N.C. State, the duo was crucial to the team’s win as they recovered the doubles match point for their team, and provided a steadying hand to the team as it experienced early struggles in the singles matches. 

Through the first two doubles matches, each team had won one game, leaving the advantage team point up for teammates Clark and Kelly to capture with victory over their opponent. When their team needed them most, their consistency remained as they came through in clutch to beat freshman twins Ivan and Igor Saveljic 6-4, gaining an early 1-0 advantage for the Tar Heels. 

Clark credits the consistency for the two in doubles because they have compatible playing styles and have chemistry between one another. 

“We play the same type of doubles so its easy,” said Clark. “We’ve been on a good roll, we had a good spring last year, the fall was very good and we have kept it going so far.”

Despite the early lead, the Tar Heels experienced struggles in singles competition. Brayden Schnur was the first to finish as he fell to his opponent 5-7, 2-6, and Ronnie Schneider also lost to his opponent 2-6, 3-6. The team found themselves down 2-1 and in need of someone with a steady hand. They fell back upon the consistency of Clark and Kelly to pull them out of trouble. 

Kelly was the third player to finish his match, taking down his opponent in a gutsy performance 6-4, 7-5 that tied the score at 2-2. Clark finished next, beating his opponent 6-4, 6-4, and allowed his team to regain the lead. At 3-2, victory was just one match point away, nearly won unless the team dropped the last two matches. 

With the momentum swinging the way of the Tar Heels, Jack Murray shut out his opponent 6-0, 6-0 to win the match for the team, while Anu Kodali piled on the score to finish the contest 5-2. 

Clark and Kelly finished the day responsible for the majority of the team’s points, winning three of its five points. In a match that could have gone either way at one point, their contributions were invaluable.

“We are so sick of each other by this point that it's easy to just play,” Kelly said. “Our closeness as friends really helps.” 

@_JACKF54_

sports@dailytarheel.com

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