Ohio State then-sophomore JJ Tracy backhands a return in his singles match against Tennessee junior Angel Diaz at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center Feb. 4, 2022. Ohio State won 4-0. Credit: Lantern File Photo
The Ohio State men’s tennis team is a national champion, again.
The No. 1 Buckeyes (13-0, 0-0 Big Ten) walked away from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Team Indoor Championship in Manhattan, New York, undefeated with four consecutive wins as the top-seeded team of the weekend matches.
Ohio State began its first match Friday against No. 21 Alabama (8-4, 0-0 Southeastern Conference) with its second-straight doubles point loss this season, but shortly made a comeback in singles topping the Tide 4-2 in the opening round at Columbia University.
This win allowed the Buckeyes to advance to the quarterfinals to face No. 8 Harvard (7-4, 0-0 Ivy League) for their third all-time meeting
In its matches against Harvard on Saturday, Ohio State dropped its doubles point for the third consecutive time this season, but showed its dominance in singles, ending the day’s match with a 4-1 win after the Buckeyes topped their opponents on all six courts.
With their victory against Harvard, the Buckeyes earned their 12th semifinal appearance at the ITA Indoor Championships Sunday, where they faced No. 6 Virginia (8-4, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) for the second time this season.
Ohio State maintained its authority over the Cavaliers after previously beating them earlier this season on Feb. 2 in Columbus with a 4-0 sweep in the ITA Indoors semifinals match.
The Buckeyes earned their first doubles point of the tournament in their matches against Virginia and took three straight matches to win, advancing them to their seventh championship match appearance after senior J.J. Tracy’s match-point clinch.
In the championship match Monday, Ohio State faced No. 2 Texas Christian University (9-1, 0-0 Big 12). Competition was high at the start of the match after Texas Christian won the doubles point and gained momentum early in singles.
However, the Buckeyes made a quick comeback after sophomore Alexander Bernard’s three-set win, and fifth-year Robert Cash handed the Buckeyes the clinching point with his three-set victory, resulting in a 4-3 Buckeye win.
In its win against Texas Christian, Ohio State was crowned the ITA Division I Men’s National Team Indoor Champions for the third time in program history, winning its other two titles in 2014 and 2019.
The Buckeyes are headed to South Bend, Indiana, this weekend to face No. 56 Notre Dame Saturday at noon.
