Virginia’s Thai-Son Kwiatkowski will walk off the court for the last time in a Cavalier uniform a national champion, sweeping both the team title and today, the singles title.
The senior defeated North Carolina’s William Blumberg in straight sets (6-4, 7-6 (5)) to claim the NCAA Men’s Tennis Singles Championship title, becoming just the third Cavalier to ever bring home the singles trophy. He joins the ranks of Somdev Devvarman (2007, 2008) and Ryan Shane (2015) to call themselves champions.
A tight match from start to finish, both players made it easy for fans to see why it was the two of them left standing. Blumberg, the ACC Freshman of the Year and Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA team tournament, will still have three more years to claim his title, and there’s little doubt we’ll see the Tar Heel in the finals in the future.
But for now, it’s Virginia’s Thai-Son Kwiatkowski who walks away having won three straight team titles with the Cavaliers, and who caps his career with a singles title. Today’s win guarantees him an automatic bid in the main draw of the 2017 US Open.
Congratulations @thaikwiatkowski pic.twitter.com/g0G15oXyZI
— Virginia Tennis (@UVAMensTennis) May 29, 2017
Current and former Cavaliers joined in the Twitter celebration:
CASH MONEY!!! Get that boy his bag !!! US OPEN BOUND! Congrats brooooo https://t.co/AUzgIo511F
— Luca Corinteli (@Luca_Corinteli) May 29, 2017
Way to stamp it @thaikwiatkowski !
— Jarmere Jenkins (@JarmereJenkins) May 29, 2017
Congratulations, Thai!