Ohio State men’s tennis takes down Notre Dame

In case you missed it, the men’s tennis team just keeps on rolling. #GoBucks

There was no emotional letdown for the Ohio State men’s tennis team. Fresh off of winning the ITA Indoor national championship, the Buckeyes got back in action on the road against Notre Dame on Saturday and continued rolling, shutting out the Fighting Irish by a score of 7-0 for its first road victory of the year.

The Buckeyes — as they normally do — started by taking the doubles point to get out in the lead and on the board at 1-0. Cannon Kingsley and JJ Tracy won 6-2, while Justin Boulais and Alex Benard took their match 6-4.

From there, it continued to be all scarlet and gray with OSU sweeping the singles matches. Tracy got things going with an easy 6-1, 6-1 win to go up 2-0, then Bernard and Robert Cash clinched things with 6-1, 6-4 and 6-2, 6-4. The rest of the matches were played out with the following complete results across all singles matches:

1. Cannon Kingsley (OSU) vs. Sebastian Dominko (ND) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
2. Justin Boulais (OSU) vs. Nil Giraldez (ND) 6-2, 4-6, 6-0
3. JJ Tracy (OSU) vs. Jameson Corsillo (ND) 6-1, 6-1
4. Jack Anthrop (OSU) vs. Chase Thompson (ND) 6-3, 6-7(4), 10-5
5. Robert Cash (OSU) vs. Jean-Marc Malkowski (ND) 6-2, 6-4
6. Alexander Bernard (OSU) vs. Kyran Magimay (ND) 6-1, 6-4

With the win, No. 1 OSU remains unbeaten at 14-0. The Buckeyes will travel to Texas to take on No. 17 Baylor next Wednesday.

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No. 1 Ohio State men’s tennis dominates No. 3 Virginia

In case you missed it – Dominant. #GoBucks

The Ohio State men’s tennis team has been one of the best programs under the tenure of head coach Ty Tucker. There are a couple of indoor ITA titles under his watch, and several NCAA final appearances, but this year’s team might be the best he’s had — at least from what we’ve seen early on.

The No. 1 ranked men’s tennis team has been dominant and continued that on Friday night by dismantling No. 3 Virginia 7-0 at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center to turn heads across the college tennis world.

True to form, the Buckeyes started things off on the right foot by taking the doubles point to set the tone when the pairs of JJ Tracy/Cannon Kingsley and Justin Boulais/Andrew Lutschaunig both won (6-3 and and 6-3) to make things 1-0 in a rematch of last season’s national title matchup.

Things took off from there with OSU winning six-straight singles matches when Bernard, JJ Tracy, Robert Cash, and Jack Anthrop all broke their opponents on their first service game and the Buckeyes jumped ahead on across the board, staying in the lead to win all seven matches in straight sets.

The Buckeyes have yet to drop a point against any opponent this year in a 7-0 start to the season. Here’s how all of the matches played out in front of new attendance record of 769 fans.

No. 1 Ohio State 7, No. 3 Virginia 0 

Singles  
1. Justin Boulais (OSU) def. Jeffrey von der Schulenburg (UVA) 7-5, 6-4
2. Cannon Kingsley (OSU) def. Dylan Dietrich (UVA) 7-6 (7-4), 6-3
3. #4 JJ Tracy (OSU) def. Edoardo Graziani (UVA) 6-1, 6-3
4. #11 Jack Anthrop (OSU) def. Alexander Kiefer (UVA) 6-3, 6-3
5. Robert Cash (OSU) def. James Hopper (UVA) 6-0, 6-4
6. #103 Alexander Bernard (OSU) def. Måns Dahlberg (UVA) 6-3, 6-1

Doubles 
1. JJ Tracy/Cannon Kingsley (OSU) def. James Hopper/Edoardo Graziani (UVA) 6-3
2. Justin Boulais/Andrew Lutschaunig (OSU) def. Jeffrey von der Schulenburg/Douglas Yaffa (UVA) 6-3 3. Robert Cash/Alexander Bernard (OSU) vs. Alexander Kiefer/Dylan Dietrich (UVA) 5-4, unfinished

As good as OSU has been, there are still some pretty sizeable matchups coming. Ohio State play No. 13 Wake Forest on Sunday at 11 a.m. and then host No. 2 South Carolina next Sunday at 2 p.m. That should be a fun one.

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Ohio State’s Justin Boulais named Big Ten Men’s Tennis Athlete of the Week

What a week for Justin Boulais of the men’s tennis team. #GoBucks

Ohio State men’s tennis player Justin Boulais has been named the Big Ten Men’s Tennis Athlete of the Week.

A senior, Boulais won seven matches last week without dropping a single set in helping the No. 1 ranked OSU men’s tennis team to four victories, including an ITA Kickoff Weekend title.

He picked up three singles wins as the No. 2 with wins over Toledo, Vanderbilt, and Boise State. He also took home three victories in the No. 2 doubles spot to help the Buckeyes set the tone by getting the doubles point straight out of the gate in all three matchups.

The recognition is Boulais’s second Big Ten Athlete of the Week honor. He also earned the award last year on Feb. 15.

On the season, Boulais is a combined 10-0 while leading the Buckeyes to six sweeps. As a team, the Buckeyes have been dominant, dropping just two sets in the six matches played.

The road gets pretty tough though this week. The Buckeyes will host No. 3 Virginia and No. 13 Wake Forest this weekend at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center.

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PHOTOS: Highlights from Ben Shelton’s first ATP Tour win in Japan

It’s always great to be a Florida Gator, even in the land of the rising sun.

Former Florida Gators tennis standout [autotag]Ben Shelton[/autotag] earned the first ATP Tour title of his nascent professional career on Sunday morning Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, where he defeated Aslan Karatsev 7-5, 6-1.

The former Gator used an enormous comeback in his semi-final match against Marcos Giron to reach the finals, which also helped propel him to the trophy stand in Tokyo. The momentum from the semis must have carried over, as Shelton dispatched Karatsev in just 84 minutes.

“That meant a lot to me and my team,” Shelton said. “We have been working really hard since the beginning to build my game and win titles on the ATP Tour. I made some deep runs lately. You see the great champions, they finish weeks off. They win titles, they don’t just get to finals. They are able to maintain their level throughout the week. I am not saying I am anywhere there yet, but to be able to do it for one week, put together five matches in a row in Tokyo is really special.”

Shelton is the sixth first-time tour-level winner of the season and the first player since Lorenzo Musetti in Hamburg in 2022 to win his debut ATP Tour title at a 500 event. Additionally, the young American is the youngest Tokyo champion since Lleyton Hewitt in 2001, who was 20 years old when he won his first title.

He joins father Bryan Shelton as an ATP Tour titlist, becoming the fourth father-son duo to win tour-level singles titles in the Open Era (since 1968).

PHOTOS: Highlights from Ben Shelton’s U.S. Open semifinal loss

Novak Djokovic ultimately proved too much for the young former Gator, but time is on Ben Shelton’s side.

Former Florida tennis standout [autotag]Ben Shelton[/autotag]’s magical run at the 2023 U.S. Open held in Flushing, New York, came to an end on Friday with a semifinal loss to one of the best to ever play the game: Novak Djokovic.

The 20-year-old Gator fell to his opponent in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (4), after becoming the youngest American man in the U.S. Open semifinals since Michael Chang in 1992 to reach the semis. However, Shelton was simply overwhelmed by a superior opponent and despite pushing hard in the final set, he took the defeat.

Djokovic vs. Shelton was a mismatch coming into Friday’s affair as the former was participating in his record 47th Slam semifinal and his 100th US Open match, while the latter was ranked 47th and in only his seventh career match at the Open.

Below are highlights from Ben Shelton’s disappointing loss in the U.S. Open semifinals against Novak Djokovic.

 

 

PHOTOS: Highlights from Ben Shelton’s U.S. Open upset quarterfinal win

With the win, Shelton now faces Novak Djokovic on Friday in the semifinals.

Former Florida tennis standout [autotag]Ben Shelton[/autotag] continued his magical run at the 2023 U.S. Open held in Flushing, New York, on Tuesday with a quarterfinal win over fellow American, Frances Tiafoe. The 20-year-old Gator outlasted his opponent, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (9-7), 6-2, to become the youngest American man in the U.S. Open semifinals since Michael Chang in 1992.

Tiafoe seemed to have early jitters playing such a hyped-up match despite being the higher-seeded and more experienced player; Shelton, on the other hand, had the benefit of lower expectations against his 25-year-old opponent. The former finished with 14 aces but 11 double faults in a back-and-forth match that featured big hits and equally big misses while the latter’s serve started to waver as the game wore on.

Nonetheless, the 2022 NCAA champion outlasted his fellow countryman and earned a trip to the next round. In the semifinals, the great Novak Djokovic who is seeded second in the tournament awaits the young up-and-comer.

In the meantime, take a look below at highlights from Shelton’s U.S. Open quarterfinals win on Tuesday.

PHOTOS: Highlights from Ben Shelton’s U.S. Open win on Sunday

Get a glimpse of what former Gator Ben Shelton was up to on Sunday at the U. S. Open.

Former Florida tennis standout Ben Shelton put up a stellar performance on Sunday against Tommy Paul on Day 7 of the 2023 U.S. Open held in Flushing, New York. Armed with his vicious power serve, the 20-year-old earned a trip to the quarterfinals thanks to a five-set victory over Paul (6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4).

The two had tangled before at the Australian Open at the start of the year, with Shelton taking the four-set defeat despite being up 4-1 in the third. The Gator alumnus credits the increased mental tenacity developed from that failure as the source of his success.

“I learned to be mentally tough,” Shelton told Eurosport. “When I was playing in Australia after a long week I was looking at my box saying ‘My legs are dead, I am tired, I can’t go anymore’. I realized how important it is to believe in myself. That I can go the full way emotionally and physically and now I have that belief here.”

Shelton’s serve topped out at 149 mph in the third set — good enough for an ace — and has been clocked in the upper 140s during his time in Flushing. He will face Frances Tiafoe on Tuesday in the quarterfinals.

In the meantime, take a look below at highlights from Shelton’s big U.S. Open win on Sunday against Tommy Paul on Day 7 of hardcourt action.

 

 

Carmen’s Crew vs. Friday Beers: How to watch, stream the game Saturday

Here’s how to watch and follow the Ohio State men’s tennis team as it goes for a national title on Sunday. #GoBucks

In case you’ve missed it, the reboot of the Ohio State basketball alumni team known as Carmen’s Crew has looked mighty impressive in its first two games of The Basketball Tournament.

If you’ve followed along over the last few years, you know that TBT is a winner take all tournament worth $2 million dollars for the tournament winners. The OSU alumni team win the whole thing in 2019, with mixed results in the other years it has competed. Carmen’s Crew skipped last year’s event but has been up to the task in 2023 with a retooled roster.

Carmen’s Crew disposed of India Rising easily on Friday night in the Dayton region and will now face No. 2 seed Friday Beers on Saturday night for a chance at the quarterfinals.

In case you’d like to follow along and cheer on some former Ohio State basketball players again in the TBT, we have everything you need to find and watch the game.

Basic info

When: Saturday, July 29, at 7:00 p.m. ET

How to watch/stream/listen:

Broadcast: ESPN+

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Ohio State men’s tennis doubles team wins national championship

Congrats to Andrew and James, National Champions! #GoBucks

It wasn’t easy for [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] men’s doubles tennis team of [autotag]Andrew Lutschaunig[/autotag] and [autotag]James Trotter[/autotag] facing off against a Texas Longhorns duo with a championship on the line.

The Buckeye duo battled the Longhorns’ Cleeve Harper and Eliot Spizzirri hard with the pair in burnt orange giving it their all, but eventually, Ohio State outlasted them and hoisted a championship trophy. Although OSU fell just short of the team title, Lutschaunig and Trotter helped the Buckeyes come home with some hardware nonetheless.

Ohio State won the first set 6-4, then took the second to capture the title. The senior pair closed out their Buckeye career in style, even though their ultimate goal was not quite attained bringing all the hardware home with their teammates.

Congrats to Andrew and James on an amazing Buckeye career and finishing it off with a championship.

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Ohio State men’s tennis doubles team will play for national championship

The duo will have a shot at a national title on Saturday! #GoBucks

The Ohio State men’s tennis team finished just a wee bit short of taking home a national championship, but one of the Buckeyes’ doubles teams has another shot to add a national title trophy to the case.

And it came in come-from-behind fashion.

The doubles team of Andrew Lutschaunig and James Trotter did battle with Pepperdine’s Daniel De Jonge and Tim Zeitvogel and had to pull off a thrilling comeback. The OSU duo started out losing the first set 6-3 and had to work hard to win the second set 7-6 in a tiebreaker by a score of 7-2.

That forced a super-tiebreaker for the third set to determine the winner and Ohio State capitalized on its momentum to win that pretty handily by a score of 10-4. Just like that, a ticket had been punched to the national championship game on Saturday opposite the team of Cleeve Harper and Eliot Spizzirri of Texas.

Match time is set for 11:30 a.m. ET.

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