It was a week of ups and downs for the No. 8 Virginia men’s tennis team as the Cavaliers faced three tough opponents, going 2-1 across a challenging stretch. After suffering a home loss to No. 1 Wake Forest, Virginia rebounded with back-to-back road victories against Boston College and SMU, showing resilience as they closed out their trip.
Match 1: Wake Forest Hands UVA a Home Loss (L, 1-4)
Virginia opened the week with a tough 4-1 home defeat against top-ranked Wake Forest at the Virginia Tennis Facility. The Cavaliers dropped the doubles point despite a win on court three from Ty Switzer and Jangjun Kim. In singles, freshman standout Rafael Jódar was the lone bright spot, delivering a straight-set win over No. 5-ranked DK Suresh Ekambaram.
From there, Wake Forest took control. Straight-set wins on courts four, five, and six secured the Demon Deacons’ victory, handing UVA its second straight ACC loss and dropping them to 1-3 in conference play.
Match 2: Cavaliers Cruise Past Boston College (W, 4-1)
Looking to bounce back, Virginia took care of business on Friday with a dominant 4-1 win at Boston College. The Cavaliers dropped the doubles point but stormed back in singles, winning all 10 sets completed in the match.
Dylan Dietrich evened the match with a 6-3, 6-1 victory on court two, followed by a commanding 6-0, 6-1 win from Jódar at the top spot. Freshman Roy Horovitz delivered a double-bagel performance with a 6-0, 6-0 sweep on court five, while Stiles Brockett clinched the match with a 6-0, 6-4 win on court six.
The win extended Virginia’s perfect all-time record against the Eagles to 24-0 and snapped a two-match losing streak.
Match 3: Singles Surge Powers Win Over SMU (W, 4-1)
The Cavaliers closed out the weekend in Dallas, topping SMU 4-1 in a Sunday matinee. After dropping the doubles point for the second straight match, UVA once again found its rhythm in singles.
Jódar notched his 13th consecutive singles win, taking down No. 94 Trevor Svajda 6-3, 6-2. Mans Dahlberg extended the lead with a 6-4, 6-4 victory on court six, while Horovitz added another straight-set win to keep the Cavaliers rolling. Dietrich sealed the match on court two, rallying after dropping the second set to win 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.
What This Week Means
Virginia exits the weekend at 11-5 overall and 3-3 in ACC play. The Cavaliers proved they can respond to adversity, bouncing back with two convincing wins after stumbling against Wake Forest.
Jódar continues to be a major force, remaining undefeated in singles play since early February, while the bottom half of the lineup stepped up across both road victories. Doubles, however, remains a point of focus as UVA dropped the opening point in all three matches this week.
Next up, Virginia returns to Charlottesville for a pair of non-conference matchups against Cal and No. 9 Stanford.
Virginia finished the week 2-1, picking up valuable momentum heading into the heart of the season.
If you’re interested in reviewing the recap and post game notes yourself—feel free to head to the UVA Men’s Tennis Website or click on the link above.
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