The ACC Championships will go down as a tournament filled with emotional highs and dramatic lows for No. 5 seed Virginia. The Cavaliers (20-7, 9-4 ACC) weathered their second-round and quarterfinal matches and then knocked off No. 1 Wake Forest, ending the nation’s best team’s 34-match unbeaten streak. But their run ended in the championship match, against No. 3 seed Stanford, with a tight match suddenly flipping away from Virginia.
The Cardinal (22-5, 10-3 ACC) defeated the Cavaliers, 4-2, capping a tumultuous week at Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C. Virginia, which has won 15 ACC titles since 2004 and entered this tournament on a six-match winning streak, was seeking to return to its pedestal atop the conference, having had a three-year streak derailed last season by Florida State.
It came close. Virginia beat No. 13 seed SMU Thursday 4-2 and No. 4 seed California Friday 4-3. That set up the showdown with No. 1 seed Wake Forest, the conference’s and the nation’s top team. It was the defining moment of the tournament and the upset of the year.
“It could have gone either way,” Coach Andres Pedroso said afterward. “Just really proud of our guys.”
The Demon Deacons (34-1, 13-0 ACC), widely expected to cruise into the title match, struck first in doubles. That meant Virginia needed four singles wins against a team with one of the deepest lineups in the country.
Virginia fell behind 2-0 early in singles, needing a turnaround. It came from Kim at Line 5, who played some of his best tennis of the season, taking the ball early and placing balls perfectly to keep his opponent on the defensive. Freshman Jangjun Kim raced through the first set 6-2, and then, at 5-5 in the second, he broke his opponent’s serve and served out the match.
Then, freshman Rafael Jódar, ranked No. 6 in the nation, beat No. 13 Stefan Dostanic, mixing aggressive forehands with measured defense in the first set and then winning long, physical rallies to stay alive in the second. He took it to a second-set tiebreak and pulled ahead to win, sealing the match 6-3, 7-6 (4).
That locked things at 2-2, and freshman Keegan Rice ripped two forehand winners in succession to close out his match 6-0, 7-6 (6), completely shifting the momentum.
At Line 2, No. 26 Dylan Dietrich faced one of the best players in the country, No. 10 DK Suresh Ekambaram. It was neck-and-neck, but Dietrich won the first set 7-5 with razor-thin margins, using deep ground-stroke placement and shot selection to pull Suresh out of position. In the second set, Suresh locked in on return games, and Dietrich struggled to find his first serve at crucial moments. But Suresh took an early break in the third set, and Dietrich could never break back. Suresh closed it out, winning 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-3 and tying the overall team score at 3-3.
Virginia’s clinch hero, once again, was junior Mans Dahlberg. He started on fire, taking the first set 6-2 with confident tennis. But his opponent regrouped in the second, adjusting his return positioning and finding success on the backhand wing. Dahlberg dropped the second set 5-7 after a late break. In the third, his opponent broke early, but Dahlberg responded immediately. He broke back at 3-4, held for 5-4 and then played a near-perfect return game to break his opponent and clinch the match, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.
The Cavaliers had done the unthinkable, handing Wake Forest its first loss of the season and booking their ticket to the ACC Championship final for the sixth straight year.
“Heck of an effort by our team after losing the doubles point,” Pedroso said. “But that’s something we’ve done all year. Just fighting and playing every single point and just taking pride in how we compete.”
The win set up a contest Sunday against Stanford, a team Virginia had beaten 4-2 earlier in the season. But on this day, in its most emotionally charged match so far, Virginia’s inspiring run came to an abrupt and heartbreaking end.
Virginia seemed, early on, to be in a solid position. It struck first at doubles, turning a season-long weakness into a momentary strength on the biggest stage. Most of the singles matches were tight, and Jódar, especially, seemed on his way to extending his 17-match winning streak. He took the first set 6-3 with heavy forehands and strong serves.
But in a shocking moment, with Jódar trailing 5-3 in the second set, the match came to an abrupt end. After losing a game and falling further behind, Jódar launched a ball toward the fence in frustration. The act resulted in an automatic default, awarding the match to Stanford and tying the team score at 1-1 in the most unexpected way.
Virginia tried to recover. At Line 5, Kim rallied after a lopsided first set, forcing a tiebreak. But he came up short, 6-1, 7-6 (3). Graduate student James Hopper, who provided leadership and clutch play all week, struggled to find his rhythm, too. He fell in straight sets, 3-6, 3-6, extending Stanford’s lead to 3-1.
Dietrich stepped up in a must-win situation. He edged a tightly contested first set and rolled out with momentum in the second, breaking early and keeping the pressure on to win 7-6 (2), 6-2. His point narrowed Stanford’s lead to 3-2.
It came down to Line 3, where Rice was in another physical battle. He had opportunities early, but Stanford’s consistency wore him down, and he could not sustain the rally tolerance needed to break through. He fell 5-7, 2-6, ending the match and leaving Dahlberg’s match unfinished, tied in the third set. It was a heartbreaking end to four intense days of tennis.
“I’m proud of our team and the effort that we had all week,” Pedroso said. “We have a young group that’s worked really hard and come together and been through a lot. And to be in this position, I think, is a huge step forward for these guys and great preparation for the NCAA Championship.”
For Virginia, the run to the ACC final was not just about chasing a trophy — it was about proving what a young, resilient team is capable of. And now, with momentum still on their side, the Cavaliers will face their next challenge — NCAA Regionals, which begin May 2.
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