CHICAGO, ILL.—Freshman Will Jansen won the clinching match at No. 3 singles to send 12th-ranked North Carolina to a 4-2 win over No. 16 Florida on Saturday in the consolation bracket of the ITA National Team Indoor Championship at the XS Tennis Village.
Jansen beat 48th-ranked Jonah Braswell, 6-3, 7-5 to clinch the victory as UNC won the doubles point and got singles wins from Jansen, Brian Cernoch and Anuj Watane.
As a group, the Tar Heels rebounded nicely on Saturday after dropping a tough, 4-1 decision to sixth-ranked USC on Friday in the ITA Indoors first round. Carolina picked up its second dual match win of the season over a nationally-ranked opponent.
UNC will play South Carolina on Sunday in its final match of the weekend. The Gamecocks won a tight, 4-3 victory over the Tar Heels in Columbia, S.C., earlier this season.
Carolina jumped out to a 1-0 lead to start the afternoon on Saturday by winning the doubles point for the eighth time in 10 matches. The Gators took the first doubles decision when Axel Nefve and Will Grant defeated Ryan Seggerman and Casey Kania, 6-2 at No. 1. Cernoch and Benjamin Kittay responded with a 6-2 win at No. 2 over Tanapatt Nirundorn and Togan Tokac. Jansen and Karl Poling took the deciding doubles match, 6-2, at No. 3 over Braswell and Lukas Greif.
Florida tied the score at 1-1 when Olek Orilkowski beat Peter Murphy, 6-1, 6-2, at No. 6 singles. Cernoch responded and grabbed a 2-1 Tar Heel lead by beating Nefve in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4, at No. 1. The Gators replied with their own win at No. 2 when Grant beat Seggerman, 6-3, 6-4.
Watane and Jansen then clinched the team victory with back-to-back wins at No. 5 and No. 3 singles. Watane beat Togan Tokac, 7-5, 6-3 before Jansen made it official.
Match Results
Florida vs North Carolina
02/17/23 at Chicago, Ill. (XS Tennis Center)
ITA National Team Indoor Championship Consolation Round
North Carolina 4, Florida 2
Singles competition
1. Brian Cernoch (NC) def. Axel Nefve (FLOR) 7-5, 6-4
2. Will Grant (FLOR) def. Ryan Seggerman (NC) 6-3, 6-4
3. Will Jansen (NC) def. Jonah Braswell (FLOR) 6-3, 7-5
4. Karl Poling (NC) vs. Nate Bonetto (FLOR) 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 0-2, unfinished
5. Anuj Watane (NC) def. Togan Tokac (FLOR) 7-5, 6-3
6. Olek Orilkowski (FLOR) def. Peter Murphy (NC) 6-1, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Axel Nefve/Will Grant (FLOR) def. Ryan Seggerman/Casey Kania (NC) 6-2
2. Brian Cernoch/Benjamin…
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