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CARY, N.C. The No. 1 Virginia men’s tennis team began its quest for a third consecutive ACC Tournament title with a 4-0 win over North Carolina in a quarterfinal matchup Friday morning at the Cary Tennis Park. The Cavaliers barely needed two-and-a-half hours to dispatch the Tar Heels and improve to 27-0 this season.
“It was a good match to start the tournament for us,” said Virginia head coach Brian Boland. “Give North Carolina credit, they played at a much higher level than when we played them in the regular season. I thought our guys responded to that and raised their game. We continue to get better with each match and look forward to tomorrow.”
The Cavaliers took the 1-0 lead by winning the doubles point in less than 45 minutes. Houston Barrick (Brentwood, Tenn.) and Sanam Singh (Chandigarh, India) topped Andrew Crone and Alex Rafiee 8-3 at No. 2 doubles. Seconds later, Dominic Inglot (London, England) and Michael Shabaz (Fairfax, Va.) downed Taylor Fogleman and Clay Donato 8-3 at the top position to clinch the opening point.
“I felt that our doubles was impressive today,” said Boland. “We were certainly ready to play and were able to jump out to that 1-0 lead. Give North Carolina credit, they played well after the doubles point and made us raise our level in singles.”
Virginia extended its lead to 2-0 as Lee Singer (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) cruised to a 6-1, 6-3 win over Cameron Ahari at No. 6 singles. Drew Courtney (Clifton, Va.) added a 6-3, 6-3 win over Zach Hunter at No. 5 singles. Shabaz clinched the match with his 6-4, 6-2 win over Brennan Boyajian at No. 3 singles.
“Today it was the bottom part of the lineup that carried us in singles,” said Boland. “Lee and Drew gave us some momentum when we needed it and they are playing their best tennis of the season right now. That will only help us throughout the tournament.”
The Cavaliers will meet Florida State in a semifinal match on Saturday. Match time at the Cary Tennis Park is 10 a.m.
No. 1 Virginia 4, No. 35 North Carolina 0
Doubles
1. #13 Inglot/Shabaz (UVa) def. #16 Fogleman/Donato (UNC) 8-3
2. #4 Barrick/Singh (UVa) def. Crone/Rafiee (UNC) 8-3
3. Singer/Courtney (UVa) def. vs. Boyajian/Hunter (UNC) 4-4 DNF
Singles
1. #34 Clay Donato (UNC) led #17 Dominic Inglot (UVa) 6-4, 5-5 DNF
2. #27 Sanam Singh (UVa) led Taylor Fogleman (UNC) 3-6, 6-3, 3-1 DNF
3. #25 Michael Shabaz (UVa) def. Brennan Boyajian (UNC) 6-4, 6-2
4. #83 Houston Barrick (UVa) led Andrew Crone (UNC) 7-6(6), 3-3 DNF
5. Drew Courtney (UVa) def. Zach Hunter (UNC) 6-3, 6-3
6. #87 Lee Singer (UVa) def. Cameron Ahari (UNC) 6-1, 6-3
Order of Finish
Doubles: 2,1
Singles: 6,5,3