This past week members of the North Carolina women’s and men’s tennis teams traveled to the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida, and competed in the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships.
Three members of the men’s team competed. Junior William Blumberg made it to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Singles Championship, while sophomore Benjamin Sigouin fell in the round of 16 and the duo of Blumberg and senior Blaine Boyden won in the first round of the doubles tournament before losing in the round of 16.
No. 19 William Blumberg
Blumberg is not new to the big stage – the junior competed in the NCAA Singles Championship in his first two years as a Tar Heel. In 2018, Blumberg reached the quarterfinals of the competition, and as a first-year, he finished as the NCAA runner-up.
On Monday, Blumberg opened play against Texas’ Harrison Scott. In this match, Blumberg got off to a fast start and never stopped. He beat Scott in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3, to advance to the next round.
In the round of 32, Blumberg faced Baylor’s Matias Soto. Much like in his first match, Blumberg impressed and won in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1. With the win, Blumberg advanced to the round of 16, where he faced No. 9 Oliver Crawford from Florida.
Although he was set to face an opponent ranked higher than him, Blumberg was unfazed, overcoming Crawford for a 6-4, 6-2 victory. With the win, Blumberg became the first Tar Heel in North Carolina men’s tennis history to reach the NCAA Men’s Tennis Singles Championship quarterfinals three times.
In the next round, however, Blumberg’s impressive run came to an end. He lost to No. 4 Alex Rubakov of TCU in three sets, 4-6, 6-3, 2-6.