The NCAA Men’s Tennis Tournament has narrowed down to just eight teams, all of which are heading to the final site for the last three rounds. On the men’s side, the quarterfinals are set for a whole-day affair on Thursday, followed by back-to-back semifinal and final days on Saturday and Sunday. Before the first serves on Thursday morning, here’s what to look out for in each Elite Eight matchup.
No. 1 Wake Forest vs No. 8 Arizona
Wake Forest received a draw befitting the top seed, and they’ve taken full advantage of it with three dominant wins to get to this point. The Demon Deacons have dropped only one point across their first three matches, and they have the advantage of many members of the team being part of their championship win last year. On the other hand, Arizona had to grit out a 4-3 win over Oklahoma to advance to its first Elite Eight in program history. Wake Forest has all the pedigree and experience, but Arizona has already alleviated the pressure of exceeding the teams that came before them.
In terms of matchups, Wake Forest has the more solid doubles point, but it isn’t infallible and Arizona is capable of getting out to a 1-0 lead. Where the Wildcats have a near-certain advantage is at the top singles spot, where Jay Friend has lost just three matches this spring season–and all to fellow Top 10 players. Wake Forest’s D.K. Suresh has accolades to his name, but has been far from his best this college season.
Further down the lineup is where the Demon Deacons have their strong points, with the trio of Mees Rottgering, Luca Pow, and Aryan Shah consistently delivering down the home stretch of the season. Friend has been a strong leader of this Arizona team, but he can’t do it on his own. If the Wildcats can’t challenge the Demon Deacons in enough singles spots, then Wake Forest’s title defense will be very much alive.
No. 4 Virginia vs No. 5 Mississippi State
Virginia can’t seem to help but scrape by in all of their matches, but they’ve only lost four matches this season. Mississippi State has had more commanding wins coming into this match, but the Cavaliers always find a way to pull through, and they may find their best form at the right time.
Doubles isn’t a strong suit for either of these teams, but Virginia has re-committed to fielding the reigning NCAA doubles champions, Dylan Dietrich and Mans Dahlberg, after splitting them up. While Mississippi State has found recent doubles success, they’ve yet to face a duo of that caliber. And the onslaught doesn’t end there, as the Bulldogs’ top two singles players will have to face Virginia’s one-two punch of Dietrich at No. 1 and Keegan Rice at No. 2, the Cavaliers’ main points of consistency.
For Mississippi State, a win will have to come from the bottom of the lineup where Virginia hasn’t been as solid throughout the season. The bottom of the Bulldogs’ lineup has been solid throughout the tournament, and while the Cavaliers faced relatively little issues in their Super Regional against South Carolina, they just barely eked out a win over Columbia the match prior. Virginia needs to finish this quickly, but Mississippi State may not let them.
No. 3 Ohio State vs No. 6 TCU
Coming off a disappointing Big Ten Tournament final loss to Michigan State, Ohio State has erased all doubt with three straight sweeps coming into the quarterfinals. Their most recent was a dominant win over Illinois, a team that has given them plenty of trouble in the past, and it’s safe to say the Buckeyes are playing their best. But so are Big 12 champions TCU, coming into this match off of three sweeps as well. These two teams have been on an inevitable collision course ever since the draws were revealed, and both teams have paths to the win.
Both the Buckeyes and the Horned Frogs are strong in doubles, with each boasting a Top 10 team. Ohio State holds a slight edge with three ranked pairs as opposed to TCU’s two, but taking down the Horned Frogs at either of the top two doubles spots is a tall task.
At the top singles spot, TCU will hope Duncan Chan can continue his seven-match win streak as he’s matched up against the somewhat inconsistent Aidan Kim of Ohio State. Two and three singles get tricky, with both teams looking strong at both spots, but at No. 4 the Buckeyes’ Nikita Filin has been a near-certain win for the entire season, making those top three spots even more crucial for the Horned Frogs. The bottom of the lineup is a toss-up as well, leaving little room for error as each team will desperately try to find four points.
No. 2 Texas vs No. 10 Baylor
It could have been any team taking on Texas in this matc,h as Baylor heaved themselves over the finish line against Pepperdine, who in turn scraped past LSU the round prior. Baylor gave the Super Regional against Pepperdine everything they had, while the Longhorns have dropped one point all tournament. But the Bears’ energy and momentum can’t be denied.
Doubles is an important tone-setter and has been for Texas in its most important matches this season, but an early statement from Baylor could rattle the Longhorns. The top singles spot is a battle of Top 10 players, with Sebastian Gorzny leading the way for Texas and Devin Badenhorst coming off a massive clinch over Pepperdine. Gorzny is near-perfect against most players but has struggled this season against fellow top players, something Badenhorst can certainly take advantage of.
But Texas’ depth could prove too much for the Bears to overcome. The Longhorns can find a path anywhere in the lineup and have been far more consistent than Baylor at the bottom. Texas’ Lucas Marionneau has been a rock at the No. 6 spot, and the rest of Texas’ lineup largely outclassed San Diego in their Super Regional. The same cannot be said for Baylor, who will need their entire roster to deliver in order to take down Texas. If their recent matches are any indication, Texas is the heavy favorite, but if they let Baylor in then the Bears will be hard to shake.
Main Photo Credit: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
