The North Carolina men kept stacking results Saturday at the 2026 ITA Carolina Regional in Columbia, with four singles wins and two doubles teams pushing through to the next round before weather scrambled the day’s rhythm.
Niels Ratiu, Chris Xu, Ian Mayew and Sebastian Sec all handled their singles matches to reach the round of 16, and Xu added a second victory after the event moved indoors. On the doubles side, the third-seeded pair of Ratiu and Xu and the 11th-seeded duo of Ian Mayew and Kase Schinnerer both advanced to the quarterfinals.
The weather forced part of the schedule inside, but UNC kept moving. Xu beat Cornelius Alexander Shalmi of Wake Forest in three sets after the change of venue, earning another step forward in the draw.
Ratiu’s day started with a comeback effort against William Moxon of South Carolina. After dropping the opening set, he flipped the match and won 5-7, 6-4, 6-0.
Xu also survived a three-setter earlier in the day, taking down Atakan Karahan of South Carolina 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Mayew was sharp in a 6-2, 6-2 win over Antonin Witz, and Sec advanced with a 6-3, 7-6 (7) result against Darius Florin Pop of NC State.
Saturday did bring a couple of setbacks. Will Mayew fell to Hiiro Sakamoto of Charlotte 0-6, 6-0, 6-3, and Nick Mangiapane lost to Duke’s Yannick Theodor Alexandrescou 6-3, 7-6 (1).
In doubles, Ratiu and Xu continued their run with an 8-4 win over Max Stenzer and Charlie Swaine of South Carolina. Ian Mayew and Schinnerer also stayed alive, knocking off William Moxon and Antonin Witz 8-4.
The tournament is down to the business end now: both singles finalists and the doubles champion will punch tickets to the 2026 NCAA Individual Championships. Play continues Sunday in Columbia and wraps up Monday.
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UNC's Secondary Suddenly Faces A Big Loss After Pitt Win
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Kaleb Cost also was injured in the same contest, and his return timeline remains unclear, leaving UNC with questions at a position group that can ill afford more uncertainty. Miller is reportedly doubtful to come back this season, which gives the injury even more weight as the Tar Heels shift from celebrating a victory to figuring out how much depth they have left in the back end. [Read more 🡒]