Men's tennis is 3-0 in ACC standings after wins over Wake and NC State

The No. 32 North Carolina men’s tennis team swept in-state rivals Wake Forest and North Carolina State this weekend to become 3-0 in ACC play.

The Tar Heels (6-4) defeated the No. 74 Demon Deacons 6-1 on Friday and the No. 28 Wolfpack 5-2 on Sunday at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.

And after UNC’s No. 98 Esben Hess-Olesen defeated Wake Forest’s Amogh Prabhakar in a third-set super tiebreaker on Friday, he had a chance to take on a rival of his own.

On Sunday, Hess-Olesen faced N.C. State freshman Robbie Mudge, who was also recruited by the Tar Heels when he was ranked as the top high school player in the state.

“I felt like I was chosen over him,” Hess-Olesen said. “I had something to prove — I really wanted to beat him because I wanted him to know that he doesn’t belong here as much as I do.”

The two traded breaks to open the match, but then held serve for nine consecutive games until Hess-Olesen broke Mudge on a double fault to clinch the first set, 6-4.

In the second set, Hess-Olesen again broke Mudge on a double fault to take a 5-3 lead. Mudge threw his racket in frustration, and the chair judge awarded Hess-Olesen a point in his match-clinching service game.

“I’ve never felt a rivalry like this before,” Hess-Olesen said. “I’m always motivated for my matches, but today I was even more motivated.”

Hess-Olesen improved to 9-1 in singles matches this season, the best record for any Tar Heel this season who has played in more than one match.

“I’ve always been good about locking in and focusing on my own match,” Hess-Olesen said. “You always play for the team, but it’s still important to play your own match and focus on your own game.”

Three other Tar Heels won both of their singles matches this weekend — Brennan Boyajian, Joey Burkhardt and William Parker.

No. 90 Boyajian defeated Wake Forest’s Danny Kreyman in straight sets on Friday 6-4, 6-1.

In his match against N.C. State’s Dominic Hodgson, Boyajian lost the first set in a tiebreaker and was warned by the chair judge for arguing calls. The judge overruled Boyajian’s calls on multiple points in the first set.

“I had one or two set points in the first set, so I knew I was right there and just needed to sharpen up,” Boyajian said.

Boyajian overcame his frustration to dominate Hodgson in the second set, 6-1, and completed the comeback with a victory in a third-set super tiebreaker.

“It’s always a rivalry. They came out pretty fired up so we matched their energy and got the job done,” Boyajian said.

Burkhardt was the last singles match to finish on Friday but won in straight sets against Wake Forest’s Adam Lee 6-4, 7-5.

He was the first to finish in Sunday’s match, easily defeating N.C. State’s Austin Powell 6-2, 6-1.
Parker did not lose a set this weekend either, beating Wake Forest’s Conner Sherwood 6-3, 6-1 and N.C. State’s Rafael Paez 6-3, 6-4.

After a losing non-conference record but three consecutive ACC wins, the Tar Heels hope to carry their momentum into this weekend when they host Virginia and Virginia Tech.

“We beat a very good N.C. State team today, one of the best teams they’ve had in a while,” UNC coach Sam Paul said. “It was a complete team match. I’m proud of my team.”

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