UNC men's tennis doubles team falls in finals at ITA Carolina Regional

The North Carolina men’s tennis team boasted a strong outing this past weekend at the ITA Carolina Regional in Cary, with three quarterfinalists in singles and two doubles finalists in junior Robert Kelly and first-year Josh Peck.

What happened?

The Tar Heels came out hot on the first day, notching an 8-0 record in singles play. Five of these players advanced to the third round.

Three Tar Heels — Kelly, sophomore Blaine Boyden, and senior Ronnie Schneider — got to the quarterfinals. UNC was the only school to have three players reach the round of eight.

Though all three lost, it is an impressive feat and a good sign for the team moving forward.

The Tar Heels went undefeated in the first round of doubles, with two pairs — Kelly and Peck, and redshirt senior Chad Hoskins and sophomore Arturo Schmidt — reaching the quarterfinals.

Hoskins and Schmidt fell to Wake Forest’s top-seeded duo of Skandar Mansouri and Christian Seraphim, while Kelly and Peck continued their hot streak all the way to the doubles final on Tuesday — where they hoped to avenge their teammates against the Wake Forest pair.

But in the end, Mansouri and Seraphim outlasted Kelly and Peck in a third-set tiebreaker to win the doubles bracket.

Who stood out?

Kelly excelled for North Carolina, making the doubles final and the singles quarterfinals. Kelly led the team in singles wins as a sophomore.

Kelly’s doubles partner, Peck, reached the third round of singles and the doubles final. As a first-year, this is a tournament that could definitely boost his experience and confidence.

Ronnie Schneider reached the singles quarterfinals. He started the season ranked No. 10 in singles.

When was it decided?

The doubles final was about as tight a contest can get. Kelly and Peck lost on a tiebreak in the first set before easily winning the second. The UNC doubles pair looked evenly matched with the Wake Forest duo.

But that changed in the third set tiebreaker. The experience of Wake Forest showed in the final frame, as the Demon Deacons won the tiebreaker 1-0.

Why does it matter?

North Carolina is one of the top teams in the country, and it needs to tally wins at local events to maintain its status. Considering the team is without Brayden Schnur — who decided to forgo his senior season to play professionally — someone needs to step up to lead the Tar Heels.

Where do they play next?

UNC will head down the road to Raleigh to compete in the Wolfpack Invitational, which starts Friday.

@YonaDagalosi

sports@dailytarheel.com