University of Memphis Athletics
Friday, May 3
Knoxville, Tenn.
9:00 AM
University of Memphis
4
vs
3
#27 North Carolina
No. 31 Tigers Defeat No. 27 North Carolina in NCAA Tournament Opener
May 03, 2024 | Men's Tennis
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The 31st-ranked Memphis Tigers earned their first NCAA Tournament win since 2021 with a 4-3 comeback victory over No. 27 North Carolina in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championship Friday morning in Knoxville, Tennessee.
The Tigers (19-6) will now face the winner of No. 7 seed Tennessee and East Tennessee State in the second round Saturday at 3 p.m. CT. The winner advances to the Round of 16 in Stillwater, Oklahoma next weekend (May 10 or 11). Memphis is playing in its 10th NCAA Tournament in the last 12 seasons.
"This was a fantastic win and there are so many people I am proud of," Memphis head coach Chris Doerr said. "I felt like we had a great doubles match and was unlucky to not win it, but we had a few seniors in different places, and they brought the fire to keep us going.
"I am incredibly proud of Pau for coming back to win his match. He showed an intense will out there today. And of course, we wouldn't be where we are if Conor, Moritz and Pablo hadn't done what they did, so we are really happy to be playing tomorrow. We are ready to get back out there."
After weather forced the match indoors, Memphis came out of the gate with a dominant start in doubles with the 29th-ranked tandem of Pablo Alemany and Charlie Barry defeating No. 42 Benjamin Kittay and Phillip Jordan, 6-2, on court one. The duo claimed their 20th win of the season with six of those coming against ranked opponents.
The Tar Heels settled in from there winning 6-3 at the third position before outlasting Harry Rock and Conor Gannon on court two in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-4), to grab the first point of the day.
In singles action, UNC maintained its momentum with first-set wins on four courts. Will Peters swept Maxime Dubouch (6-4, 6-3) at the No. 5 position to take a 2-0 advantage.
No. 58 Alemany put the Tigers on the board from court one with a 6-3, 6-4 sweep over Kittay. The American Athletic Conference Player of the Year earned his 23rd singles victory of the season.
North Carolina pushed the match to the brink with a 3-1 lead after No. 89 Karl Poling squeaked out a three-set win over Rock (6-3, 2-6, 6-2).
With its back against the wall, Memphis gutted out victories on the last three courts to get the win.
Moritz Kudernatsch swept 6-4, 6-3 on court six before Gannon came from behind to take a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 decision on court two over UNC's Phillip Jordan.
For the Tigers, it all came down to court three where senior Pau Fanlo was locked in a battle after splitting the first two sets 6-7(2), 6-2.
The Barcelona, Catalonia native held a 4-1 advantage in the third set before UNC's Patrick Schoen battled back to eventually hold match point. Fanlo broke and sent the match into a tiebreaker where he earned the 8-6 win.
Fanlo, the only remaining player in the program from the last NCAA Tournament win, also earned the clinch point for the Tigers in 2021 when they defeated No. 30 Georgia Tech, 4-2.
The win marked the fourth time Memphis has advanced to the second round, and in the process, the Tigers ended UNC's streak of nine-consecutive trips to the Round of 16.
#31 Memphis 4, #27 North Carolina 3
Singles
1. #58 Pablo Alemany (MEM) def. Benjamin Kittay (NC) 6-3, 6-4
2. Conor Gannon (MEM) def. Phillip Jordan (NC) 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
3. Pau Fanlo (MEM) def. Patrick Schoen (NC) 6-7 (2-7), 6-2, 7-6 (8-6)
4. #89 Karl Poling (NC) def. Harry Rock (MEM) 6-3, 2-6, 6-2
5. Will Peters (NC) def. Maxime Dubouch (MEM) 6-4, 6-3
6. Moritz Kudernatsch (MEM) def. Anuj Watane (NC) 6-4, 6-3
Doubles
1. #29 Pablo Alemany / Charlie Barry (MEM) def. #42 Benjamin Kittay / Phillip Jordan (NC) 6-2
2. Peter Murphy / Patrick Schoen (NC) def. Harry Rock / Conor Gannon (MEM) 7-6 (7-4)
3. Will Peters / Karl Poling (NC) def. Pau Fanlo / Juan Zabala (MEM) 6-3
Order of Completion:
Doubles (1,3,2)
Singles (5,1,4,6,2,3)
HOW TO FOLLOW THE TIGERS
For complete information on Memphis Tiger Men's Tennis, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The Tigers (19-6) will now face the winner of No. 7 seed Tennessee and East Tennessee State in the second round Saturday at 3 p.m. CT. The winner advances to the Round of 16 in Stillwater, Oklahoma next weekend (May 10 or 11). Memphis is playing in its 10th NCAA Tournament in the last 12 seasons.
"This was a fantastic win and there are so many people I am proud of," Memphis head coach Chris Doerr said. "I felt like we had a great doubles match and was unlucky to not win it, but we had a few seniors in different places, and they brought the fire to keep us going.
"I am incredibly proud of Pau for coming back to win his match. He showed an intense will out there today. And of course, we wouldn't be where we are if Conor, Moritz and Pablo hadn't done what they did, so we are really happy to be playing tomorrow. We are ready to get back out there."
After weather forced the match indoors, Memphis came out of the gate with a dominant start in doubles with the 29th-ranked tandem of Pablo Alemany and Charlie Barry defeating No. 42 Benjamin Kittay and Phillip Jordan, 6-2, on court one. The duo claimed their 20th win of the season with six of those coming against ranked opponents.
The Tar Heels settled in from there winning 6-3 at the third position before outlasting Harry Rock and Conor Gannon on court two in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-4), to grab the first point of the day.
In singles action, UNC maintained its momentum with first-set wins on four courts. Will Peters swept Maxime Dubouch (6-4, 6-3) at the No. 5 position to take a 2-0 advantage.
No. 58 Alemany put the Tigers on the board from court one with a 6-3, 6-4 sweep over Kittay. The American Athletic Conference Player of the Year earned his 23rd singles victory of the season.
North Carolina pushed the match to the brink with a 3-1 lead after No. 89 Karl Poling squeaked out a three-set win over Rock (6-3, 2-6, 6-2).
With its back against the wall, Memphis gutted out victories on the last three courts to get the win.
Moritz Kudernatsch swept 6-4, 6-3 on court six before Gannon came from behind to take a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 decision on court two over UNC's Phillip Jordan.
For the Tigers, it all came down to court three where senior Pau Fanlo was locked in a battle after splitting the first two sets 6-7(2), 6-2.
The Barcelona, Catalonia native held a 4-1 advantage in the third set before UNC's Patrick Schoen battled back to eventually hold match point. Fanlo broke and sent the match into a tiebreaker where he earned the 8-6 win.
Fanlo, the only remaining player in the program from the last NCAA Tournament win, also earned the clinch point for the Tigers in 2021 when they defeated No. 30 Georgia Tech, 4-2.
The win marked the fourth time Memphis has advanced to the second round, and in the process, the Tigers ended UNC's streak of nine-consecutive trips to the Round of 16.
#31 Memphis 4, #27 North Carolina 3
Singles
1. #58 Pablo Alemany (MEM) def. Benjamin Kittay (NC) 6-3, 6-4
2. Conor Gannon (MEM) def. Phillip Jordan (NC) 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
3. Pau Fanlo (MEM) def. Patrick Schoen (NC) 6-7 (2-7), 6-2, 7-6 (8-6)
4. #89 Karl Poling (NC) def. Harry Rock (MEM) 6-3, 2-6, 6-2
5. Will Peters (NC) def. Maxime Dubouch (MEM) 6-4, 6-3
6. Moritz Kudernatsch (MEM) def. Anuj Watane (NC) 6-4, 6-3
Doubles
1. #29 Pablo Alemany / Charlie Barry (MEM) def. #42 Benjamin Kittay / Phillip Jordan (NC) 6-2
2. Peter Murphy / Patrick Schoen (NC) def. Harry Rock / Conor Gannon (MEM) 7-6 (7-4)
3. Will Peters / Karl Poling (NC) def. Pau Fanlo / Juan Zabala (MEM) 6-3
Order of Completion:
Doubles (1,3,2)
Singles (5,1,4,6,2,3)
HOW TO FOLLOW THE TIGERS
For complete information on Memphis Tiger Men's Tennis, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,3,2
#1 Singles Match
12
66
Benjamin Kittay / 0 [NC]
34
#2 Singles Match
123
366
Phillip Jordan / 0 [NC]
622
#3 Singles Match
123
667
Patrick Schoen / 0 [NC]
726
#4 Singles Match
123
362
Karl Poling / 0 (89/-) [NC]
626
#5 Singles Match
12
43
Will Peters / 0 [NC]
66
#6 Singles Match
12
66
Anuj Watane / 0 [NC]
43
Order of Finish:
5,1,4,6,2,3
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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