No. 8 Men’s Tennis Hosts No. 9 NC State in NCAA Super Regional

Saturday, May 10

New York, N.Y.

1:00 p.m.

Columbia University

#8 NC State

Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Lem Photography

No. 8 Men’s Tennis Hosts No. 9 NC State in NCAA Super Regional

5/9/2025 11:40:00 AM | Men's Tennis

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Lions looking to advance to the NCAA Quarterfinal for the second consecutive year

NEW YORK – The No. 8 seed Columbia men's tennis team hosts No. 9 NC State for an NCAA Super Regional match on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Philip & Cheryl Milstein Family Tennis Center. Saturday's match marks the final time Columbia will play on its home court this season as the winner will advance to the NCAA Final Site in Waco, Texas.

Last weekend, Columbia (19-4) cruised past Binghamton in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament last Friday, defeating the Bearcats 4-0. On Saturday, the Lions outlasted No. 23 Clemson in a dramatic match that went down to the wire, with the Lions coming out on top 4-2. In doing so they earned the right to host the Wolfpack in the Super Regionals.

In the opening two rounds, Columbia's doubles play gave the Lions a big boost taking the crucial point in both matches. Clemson boasted one of the best doubles teams in the country, however, it was the Lions who got the point. Michael Zheng and Nicolas Kotzen defeated the No. 28 ranked due of Noah Vukadin and Max Smith from Clemson, 6-2 to give Columbia the edge.

However, it was Hugo Hashimoto and Jayden Templeman that clinched the point with a remarkable 7-6 (7-5) win in doubles play. The Lions' duo improved to 23-5 together as playing partners and have not lost since February 15.

VERSUS NC STATE
Saturday will be the third ever meeting between these two teams, with Columbia owning a 2-0 advantage in the series. These two teams first met on February 4, 2024, with the Lions defeating the Wolfpack 4-3 in Raleigh, N.C. Earlier this year, the two teams met at the Milstein Family Tennis Center, with Columbia once again coming out on top 4-1 on February 2.

Wolfpack enter this weekend ranked No. 8 in the latest ITA rankings and are 22-6 overall. Last weekend, they went 2-0 in the NC State Regional, defeating South Carolina State 4-0 in the opening round. They wrapped up the weekend with a 4-1 win over No. 26 Georgia.

LIVE COVERAGE
Action from the Milstein Family Tennis Center this weekend will be broadcast live through Columbia's stretch portal. Fans can also follow the action live via live scores online.

Cracked Rackets will also be providing wraparound coverage of the first and second round matches. Fans can access that broadcast here.

COLUMBIA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Saturday will be the second time in program history the Lions have hosted an NCAA Super Regional. Last year, Columbia defeated Arizona 4-3 to advance to the program's first ever appearance in the NCAA Quarterfinals. As one of the last eight teams standing, the Lions season ended with a loss at the hands of top seed Ohio State, 4-2, in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

LIONS IN THE ITA RANKINGS
In the latest ITA rankings, the Lions hold strong at the No. 9 spot. Columbia has been in the top 10 every week this season. Reaching a high of No. 6 on Feb. 5.
Singles
#2 – Michael Zheng
#52 – Nicolas Kotzen
#81 – Hugo Hashimoto
Doubles
#37 – Michael Zheng, Hugo Hashimoto
#41 – Michael Zheng, Nicolas Kotzen
#86 – Sachin Palta/Max Westphal

FOLLOWING THE LIONS
Stay up to date on all things Columbia Men's Tennis by following the Lions on X (@CULionsMTEN), Instagram (@culionsmten) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).