1. UNC women’s tennis advances to NCAA semifinals after beating No. 8 Texas 4-2

ORLANDO, Fla. The North Carolina women’s tennis team (33-1) defeated the No. 8 Texas Longhorns (24-5) 4-2 in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday.

What happened?

Despite a last-minute push to overcome early deficits, the Tar Heels dropped a double point to open the match. On court two, senior Elizabeth Scotty and sophomore Carson Tanguilig were UNC’s only doubles pair to pick up the win with a 6-2 win.

Freshman Reese Brantmeier and junior Reilly Tran trailed 1-3 in the early stages. The UNC pair, unable to close the gap significantly, was the first to fall, losing 4-6. Junior Fiona Crawley and sophomore Abbey Forbes tied the first five games of their singles match, but Texas’ No. 26 doubles pair of Charlotte Chavatipon and Sabina Zeynalova won an important break point and the next key match 2-5. to lead.

Forbes and Crawley switched to a more aggressive style of play online and took the next three games to tie the match again. However, a series of missed shots and rebounds that went straight to the netminder allowed Texas to clinch the double point with a 7-5 win.

The Tar Heels won four of the first six sets in singles play. Tran won the fifth court 6-2, 6-2. Tanguilig struggled against Zeynalova’s hard shots and court control. The UNC sophomore fell in straight sets 2-6, 3-6. Brantmeier followed suit, fending off a late-set push from his Texas opponent to secure a 6-2, 7-5 win.

Wins by Crawley and senior Anika Yarlagadda pushed the Tar Heels over the edge and officially sent the team to the semifinals.

Who stood out?

Crawley dominated in the first set in singles, working Texas’ Chavatipon sideways down the court with long shots in the corner. In the second set, however, Crawley fell to a three-game losing streak. After regaining momentum and wearing down Chavatipon with long rallies, the UNC junior went on a four-match winning streak to tie the match.

Crawley won the key deuce point at 5-5 to take their first lead in the second set. Continuing his stance, he sent the Tar Heels on the scoreboard for the third point with a final score of 6-1, 7-5.

When was it decided?

Seconds after Crawley’s dramatic finish, Yarlagadda officially ended the match in North Carolina’s favor, winning 6-4, 6-3. Although the opposition took the first three games of the second set, Yarlagadda locked in to come from behind and win six straight games.

Why does it matter?

On Wednesday, UNC lost two games in a row for the first time in double figures. Despite this, the Tar Heels came back from their early deficit through singles dominance. The comeback wins elevated North Carolina’s game and provided any significant momentum the Longhorns were trying to build.

When are they playing next?

UNC advances to a quarterfinal game Friday at 5:30 p.m. in Orlando, Fla. against No. 4 against Georgia in 5th place. Michigan.

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