A big weekend for men’s tennis as the new facility opens

A fun weekend of college tennis is in store this weekend in Chapel Hill.

The 13th-ranked University of North Carolina men’s tennis team hosts Atlantic Coast Conference foes and debuts its beautiful, new, state-of-the-art outdoor facility.

The Tar Heels hosted the No. 23 NC State on Friday at 5 p.m. and No. 16 Wake Forest on Sunday at 1 p.m. Friday’s game against the Wolfpack is part of a doubleheader with the No. 1 UNC women hosting Florida State at 14 o’clock

The outdoor tennis center, which has been under construction for more than a year, will host its first matches for Friday’s doubleheader. Located adjacent to the current indoor courts of the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center, the facility will completely replace the former outdoor courts with six championship courts and the practice area with six uniform courts. The supportive stadium features elevated seating, patios, overlooks and fans. The highlight is the court-level patio, where seating is just feet away from the playing surface.

The new space also includes a full-service concession stand with soft drinks, beer and wine, popcorn, candy, nachos and a selection of other refreshments. Friday’s men’s match also includes a fan lottery.

“We are so excited to play in our new facility against two very talented ACC opponents,” the 30-year-old head coach Sam Paul says. “NC State and Wake Forest will give us tough tests as we come down to the final stretch of the conference regular season. We look forward to playing in front of our fans in our beautiful new stadium.”

The Tar Heels (14-5, 6-1 ACC) have won seven of their last eight games, including three in a row. Friday’s matchup with NCSU is the first of five straight home dates to close out the regular season. The 2023 ACC Championship will be played in Cary on the 19th-23rd. April.

Carolina Athletics is planning a grand opening, ribbon-cutting ceremony for the facility later in April.