The #3-ranked Ohio State men’s tennis team swept #14 Illinois in a NCAA Super Regional matchup Friday at the Auer Tennis Complex in Columbus to earn a spot in the NCAA quarterfinals. The Buckeyes will take on the winner of the match between #2 TCU and #18 Stanford to be played on Saturday in Fort Worth.

On Friday, the Bucks grabbed the doubles point with wins from the teams of Nikita Filin and Brendan Carpico, and Alexander Bernard and Alex Okonkwo. Carpico, a Gahanna Lincoln grad, was the OHSAA Division I singles champion in 2021 and 2023, while finishing as the runner-up in 2022.

In the singles matches, Filin and Bernard posted two-set victories over their Illini opponents, while Jack Anthrop also won in two sets. The other three singles matches did not need to finish with the 4-0 sweep in hand.

The Ohio State men’s squad has won three indoor national titles, but has yet to win an NCAA outdoor championship. That is the only thing lacking in the Buckeyes’ history.

Through this season, they have won 20 consecutive Big Ten regular season titles, the longest streak of any Ohio State team ever and second most in NCAA history. Only Oklahoma State’s wrestling team has more consecutive regular season crowns  – 27 straight in the Southwest and Missouri Valley Conferences (1922-1949).

In 2006, Ohio State began a streak of 19 consecutive trips to at least the NCAA tournament’s Super Regional (2006-present). In the last 20 years, Ohio State has made eight trips to the Elite Eight and five to the Final Four, with three title match appearances (2009, 2018, 2023). 

Ohio State will play the TCU/Stanford winner on Thursday, May 14 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Georgia. The home of the Georgia Bulldogs will play host to the remainder of the tournament contests. The championship match is set for Sunday, March 17.