STILLWATER, Okla. — Alabama's Filip Planinsek and Miami's Alexa Noel bounced back to win singles titles, and the Ohio State men and Georgia women won exciting doubles crowns in the NCAA tennis tournament on Saturday.
Both singles champions lost the first set before rallying to claim the title at Oklahoma State's Michael and Anne Greenwood Tennis Center.
The team of Robert Cash and JJ Tracy gave Ohio State its second consecutive men's doubles championship. Aysegul Mert and Dasha Vidmanova gave Georgia its first women's victory. The Buckeyes won the third set 10-6 while the Bulldogs prevailed 11-9 in the third.
Planinsek rallied to defeat Columbia's Michael Zheng 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-2. He is the fifth consecutive SEC champion and the first from Alabama, which had never won an NCAA men's tennis title.
Noel, seeded eight, defeated Georgia's Anastasiia Lopata 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 to become the Hurricanes' third singles champion. Noel, who beat top seed Mary Stoiana of Texas A&M in straight sets in the semifinal, trailed 3-1 in the second set before rallying.
Cash and Tracy defeated Antoine Cornut-Chauvinc and Joshua Dous Karpenschif of Florida State 5-7, 6-0, 10-6. Andrew Lutschaunig and James Trotter brought the Buckeyes a title last year, while Cash lost in the finals to Matej Vocel in 2022.
Mert and Vidmanova defeated top seeds Savannah Broadus and Janice Tjen of Pepperdine 7-6, 2-6, 11-9. Broadus and Tien are the first Waves duo to reach the championship match.
For the first time in school history, the Georgia women had a finalist in team, singles and doubles competitions, although only the doubles team won. The Bulldogs lost to Texas A&M for the team title on Sunday.
