Tar Heels Roll Through Doubleheader, Extend Win Streak to Four
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - North Carolina men's tennis is heating up, and Sunday’s doubleheader was a clear statement. The Tar Heels didn’t just win - they dominated, sweeping both Campbell and North Carolina Central on their home courts at the Cone-Kenfield Indoor Courts inside the Chewning Tennis Center.
With back-to-back shutouts - 4-0 over Campbell and 5-0 over NC Central - Carolina extended its win streak to four and improved to 7-2 on the season. The team now shifts its focus to a road trip to Illinois before diving into ACC play.
Let’s break down how the Tar Heels got it done on a busy Sunday.
Match 1: UNC 4, Campbell 0
Doubles Play
The morning started with a statement from Kase Schinnerer and Ian Mayew. Ranked No. 89 in the country, the freshman duo wasted no time at No. 3 doubles, cruising past Campbell’s Alex Fragasso and Arush Gupta, 6-1. That win pushed their season record to 13-4 - the best on the team.
Roan Jones and Anthony Wright then sealed the doubles point with a 6-3 win at No. 2 over Adi Dagan and Matias Lofnik, marking their fourth straight win in dual match play. Meanwhile, the top doubles match - Chris Xu and Nick Mangiapane vs. Thomas Drapeau and Max Hamon - was locked at 4-4 when it was left unfinished.
Singles Play
Chris Xu wasted no time at the top of the lineup, dismantling Fragasso 6-1, 6-1 to give UNC an early 2-0 lead. Wright followed with a clinical 6-0, 6-1 victory at No. 5, and Constantinos Djakouris closed out the match with a 6-1, 6-2 win on Court 3 - his third clinching singles win of the season.
With the match decided, the remaining singles contests were left unfinished, though UNC was in control across the board.
Match 2: UNC 5, NC Central 0
Doubles Play
In the evening session, Jones and Wright picked up right where they left off, blanking their opponents 6-0 at No. 2 doubles to set the tone. Xu and Mangiapane then clinched the doubles point at No. 1 with a hard-fought 7-5 win over Rodrigo Alves and Kareem Abdul Hakim.
At No. 3, Schinnerer and Mayew showed some grit.
After falling behind 4-0, they stormed back to take a 6-5 lead. The match was tied at 6-6 and just starting a tiebreak (which UNC led 2-0) when it was halted.
Singles Play
Schinnerer got the singles rolling with a 6-4, 6-0 win at No. 4, and Mangiapane followed with a dominant 6-2, 6-0 performance at No. 6. Wright once again delivered the clincher - this time at No. 5 - with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Antoni Pankowski.
Xu wrapped up the night with another strong showing at No. 1, dispatching Naresh Bharathy 6-1, 6-1. The remaining matches were left unfinished, but once again, the Tar Heels were in control.
What’s Next
With the non-conference home slate now complete, Carolina will hit the road for a Feb. 22 matchup at Illinois. After that, it’s back to Chapel Hill for the start of ACC play, where the Tar Heels will host Stanford and Cal.
This team is finding its rhythm - the doubles pairs are clicking, the singles lineup is deep, and the confidence is building. If Sunday was any indication, Carolina is ready for the next level of competition.