Michigan
NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships
Young, Kittay Become First-Ever U-M National Runners-up in Doubles
11/24/2024 4:54:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Site: Waco, Texas (Hurd Tennis Center)
Event: NCAA Doubles Championship (Day 6 of 6)
Result: No Team Scoring
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Jan. 11 -- vs. Ball State (Varsity Tennis Center), 5 p.m.
WACO, Texas -- Gavin Young and Benjamin Kittay of the University of Michigan men's tennis team fought to a third-set 10-point tiebreak in the NCAA Doubles Championship final but were clipped by the duo from Texas Christian University 3-7, 7-6 (6), 2-10.
In the opening set, the teams stayed on serve until Lui Maxted/Pedro Vives Marcos broke and consolidated the break to take a 5-2 edge. Young/Kittay won the next game with a perfect score to stay alive. The Wolverines fought off the set point twice after Maxted double-faulted -- and Kittay put away a point with a net-front play to set things at 40-40 -- before TCU answered with the deuce point.
The second set was much the same with each pair staying on serve until they exchanged breaks at 4-4. They continued to play out until 6-6 and were headed to the tiebreaker. Each team had a minibreak with things settling at 6-6 before Young served to put the Wolverines ahead, 7-6, and used a double fault by Marcos to take the point and the set.
With a 10-point tiebreaker to decide the national champion, it was a game of breaks -- five in all -- but four for the Horned Frogs. Young/Kittay trailed 4-2 at the turn before TCU came out with six straight to take the win, 10-2.
Young and Kittay are the first-ever doubles runners-up for the University of Michigan, and the second and third runners-up in the national individual finals in the last three years. They join Ondrej Styler, who was the 2023 NCAA singles runner-up, to cement their names in the records books.
The Wolverines will take the month of December off from competition and will begin dual-match action on Saturday, Jan. 11, hosting Ball State at 5 p.m.
2024 NCAA Doubles Championships Results
First Round -- d. No. 46 Sebastian Dominko/Peter Nad (Notre Dame), 2-6, 6-3, 11-9
Second Round -- d. No. 23 Oliver Tarvet/Stian Klaassen (San Diego), 6-4, 6-1
Quarterfinals -- d. Aadarsh Tripathi/Alexander Hoogmartens (UCLA), W/O
Semifinals -- d. Alex Bulte/Youcef Rihane (Florida State), 6-4, 6-2
Championship – l. Pedro Vives Marcos/Lui Maxted (TCU) 3-6, 7-6 (8-6), 2-10
Players Mentioned
