Tar Heels shut out Purdue

During the second set of his match against North Carolina freshman Benjamin Carlotti, Purdue’s Colin Foster knocked a forehand just wide of the sideline to lose a game, falling behind 5 to 4 and nearing defeat.

Foster swiftly removed his Boilermakers hat and smashed it against the wall with his racket.

Frustration was the emotion of the day for No. 68 Purdue, which fell 7-0 to the No. 30 Tar Heels on Sunday at Cone-Kenfield Indoor Tennis Center despite playing several close matches.

“They were pretty tight matches all the way through,” said Coach Sam Paul. “I was pleased with how we played in some pressure situations.”

Two matches went to three sets, and another two had sets decided by tiebreakers. But the breaks all went North Carolina’s way.

The Tar Heels (6-2) picked up the doubles point with wins by Geoff Boyd and Brad Pomeroy at the No. 1 seed and Jonathan Janda and Raian Luchici at No. 3.

Boyd and Pomeroy are the ninth-ranked tandem in the nation but struggled with the serves of Purdue’s David Robinson and Paul Rose.

“You have to keep working at it, keep grinding until you get a feel for the serve,” Pomeroy said. “You just have to keep working every point to make sure to keep the pressure on your opponent.”

Boyd and Pomeroy finally broke serve to take a 5-4 lead, and they held on for an 8-6 victory.

At No. 1 singles, the 66th-ranked Luchici looked like he was on his way to an easy win after cruising 6-0 in the first set. But No. 78 Paul Rose took the second set, forcing Luchici to a final frame, which the UNC junior won 6-2.

Pomeroy clinched the match for the Tar Heels at No. 2 singles by taking down Sounak Chatterjee 7-6 (7-5), 6-4. The junior rushed out to big leads in both sets but had to withstand a strong charge from Chatterjee to pull off the win.

Carlotti and Foster’s match at No. 5 was also full of ups and downs. UNC’s Parisian freshman used his smooth form to fight back from early deficits in both sets, taking the match 6-4, 6-4.

“I was pleased for him,” Paul said. “He’s been a little bit down. He’s lost some matches. He’s a fighter. He cares an awful lot, but he’s learning.”

With the match already clinched, the only remaining drama was whether UNC would pull off the shutout of the Boilermakers (1-2). Tar Heel Sebastian Guejman secured that feat at No. 6 by coming back in the third set against Eric Hodgemen, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.

The win was the Tar Heels’ fourth in a row after the team dropped two consecutive matches on the road to Northwestern and Notre Dame in January.

“I think we’re all starting to click a little bit,” Porter said. “Every season you’re going to have a few bad losses, and it’s much better to have it come earlier than later. I think we’re ready to take on the challenge that’s in front of us.”

 

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.