North Carolina
Northwestern
Men's Tennis Drops Northwestern, 4-0
January 29, 2022 | Men's Tennis
Kiger beat No. 92 Trice Pickens, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, at No. 3 singles in the clinching match as UNC moves on in defense of its 2021 ITA Indoor National Championship title, the second in program history.
The Tar Heels advance to the championship match of the Kick-Off on Sunday at 3 p.m. against No. 5 Ohio State, which shutout Arizona State, 4-0, on Saturday morning in Chapel Hill. Northwestern and Arizona State will meet in the consolation match at noon.
Senior Benjamin Sigouin posted a strong performance in his first singles outing of the season, beating No. 104 Simen Bratholm, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) by clawing his way to a win in a tight, second-set tiebreaker. Sigouin's win gave Carolina a 3-0 lead and led to Kiger's clincher.
Senior Henry Lieberman, a transfer from Charlotte, won his second consecutive singles match for the Tar Heels, dominating in a 6-0, 6-3 win Felix Nordby at No. 5 singles.
Carolina took the doubles point to start the afternoon. The duo of Casey Kania and Logan Zapp, ranked No. 20 nationally, beat Steven Forman and Felix Nordby, 6-2, at No. 2 to provide early momentum. Brian Cernoch and Kiger clinched the point with a 6-2 victory over Bratholm and Brian Berdusco at No. 1.
Match Results
Northwestern vs North Carolina 01/29/22
at Chapel Hill, N..C. (Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center)
#17 North Carolina 4, Northwestern 0
Singles competition
1. #60 Brian Cernoch (NC) vs. Steven Forman (NU) 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 1-1, unfinished
2. Benjamin Sigouin (NC) def. #104 Simen Bratholm (NU) 6-1, 7-6 (7-3)
3. Mac Kiger (NC) def. #92 Trice Pickens (NU) 7-6 (7-5), 6-3
4. Logan Zapp (NC) vs. Presley Thieneman (NU) 6-3, 4-6, 0-1, unfinished
5. Henry Lieberman (NC) def. Felix Nordby (NU) 6-0, 6-3
6. Anuj Watane (NC) vs. Gleb Blekher (NU) 7-6 (7-2), 1-0, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Brian Cernoch/Mac Kiger (NC) def. Brian Berdusco/Simen Bratholm (NU) 6-2
2. #20 Casey Kania/Logan Zapp (NC) def. Steven Forman/Felix Nordby (NU) 6-2
3. Peter Murphy/Benjamin Sigouin (NC) vs. Natan Spear/Trice Pickens (NU) 4-3, unfinished
Match Notes:
Northwestern 4-2
North Carolina 2-0; National ranking #17
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (5,2,3)
T-2:00 A-125
Match points from Carolina's 4-0 #ITAKickoff win over Northwestern pic.twitter.com/9Z7VI83rJq
— UNC Men's Tennis 🐏🎾 (@carolinatennis) January 29, 2022
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,1
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
5,2,3
Players Mentioned
