2023 NCAA Championships: UNC downs defending champs Texas in women's QFs

After all the Division II and III team trophies were won at this historic, combined NCAA Championships, the final stages of the Division I event began Wednesday evening with women's quarterfinal action at the USTA National Campus.

The marquee matchup saw the top-seeded University of North Carolina defeat two-time defending champions Texas, 4-2, with No. 4 seeds Georgia, No. 7 Stanford and No. 3 North Carolina State also advancing. UNC will face Georgia in Friday's semis, with Stanford to meet NC State for the first meeting between the two programs.

North Carolina, seeking its first national title in women's tennis, is through to the Final Four for the third straight season and the fourth time in the past five years. 

Against Texas, the Tar Heels battled back after dropping the doubles point with straight-sets singles wins at No. 1, 3, 5 and 6 to secure the win. On Court 6, IT No. 38 Anika Yarlagadda clinched the overall match with a 6-4, 6-3 result against Malaika Rapolu.

"It feels great," UNC head coach Brian Kalbas said after his team ended the Longhorns' reign atop D1 women's tennis. "[Texas head coach] Howard [Joffe] does an amazing job. They've won two national titles in a row. They're peaking at the right time, they always do. And they were playing well. 

"Losing the doubles point was big but it wasn't the decider for us. We came out with the same kind of energy we did against Florida [in the Sweet 16] and played with some really good purpose and won some close first sets and a couple of sets in the second could have gone a different direction... When you lose the doubles point, you can't give up momentum at any point in time and to not allow those matches to go three sets was huge for us."

Wednesday's most dramatic match was the last to finish under the lights. North Carolina State's thrilling matchup with first-time quarterfinalists and 11th seeds Iowa State came down to No. 3 singles with the overall score knotted at 3-3.

The Wolfpack are led by Diana Shnaider, who broke into the WTA's Top 100 earlier this year as she spread her time between the pro and college levels. Shnaider scored a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 1 singles, but the match came down to Amelia Rajecki for NC State.

Rajecki, the ITA No. 26, fell behind early in the final set against the unranked Miska Kadleckova. But behind her power game and relentless energy, she surged through the finish line to earn a 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3 victory.

"I think it's the highlight of my college career so far," said the junior from Great Britain. "We have had some tough 4-3 matches this year, especially last year as well, and been on the flip side. I know how hard it is and I'm just so thankful that we got through this.