The 2024 UTR Sports National Invitational Tennis Championship (NIT Championship) has wrapped up action at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. Taking place May 5-8, eight men’s and eight women’s teams started the event seeking post-season national titles, with Tulsa emerging as the victor in both draws.
All matches were aired on Amazon Prime Video, free for Prime members. Click here to see replays.
May 8: Tulsa Wins Both 2024 NIT Championships
In Wednesday morning's men's final, No. 1 seed Tulsa defeated No. 2 seed Pacific 4-1 to secure the 2024 title. The Tulsa women's team followed with an upset of top-seeded Colorado 4-2 to make it a clean sweep for the Golden Hurricanes.
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Women's Final: No. 3 Tulsa def. No. 1 Colorado, 4-2
“[Winning] is a really nice feeling,” said Tulsa’s Ana Naranjo Martinez, the women’s tournament MVP. “We knew it was going to be a tough tournament, so we came mentally prepared for the heat for the teams. I think the people here, the environment, all the referees, all the organizers are just amazing. It's a really nice opportunity to play one more tournament in the season.”
Women's Final: No. 3 Tulsa def. No. 1 Colorado, 4-2
Doubles
No. 1 Aya El Sayed/Pia Rebec (COL) def. Maria Berlanga Bandera/Lily Hutchings (TLS), 6-4
No. 2 Oleksandra Nahurska/Ana Naranjo Martinez (TLS) def. Mila Stanojevic/Elys Ventura (COL), 7-5
No. 3 Tayla Wilmot/Erin McKenzie (TLS) def. Anya Nelson/Ema Bubalo (COL), 6-1
Tulsa wins the doubles point
Singles
No. 1 Aya El Sayed (COL) vs. Maria Berlanga Bandera (TLS), 6-3, 1-6, 5-5
No. 2 Elys Ventura (COL) def. Oleksandra Nahurska (TLS), 6-1, 6-2
No. 3 Mila Stanojevic (COL) def Lily Hutchings (TLS), 6-3, 6-2
No. 4 Ana Naranjo Martinez (TLS) def. Betina Tokac (COL), 6-2, 6-3
No. 5 Erin McKenzie (TLS) def. Alex Abyasova (COL), 7-6(5), 6-1*
No. 6 Tayla Wilmot (TLS) def. Pia Rebec (COL), 6-2,6-3
*Clinch
Men's Final: No. 1 Tulsa def. No. 2 Pacific, 4-1
Tulsa entered the NIT with a No. 1 seeding based on its 75.92 UTR Power 6. No. 2 seed Pacific's Power 6 was 75.00.
A team's Power 6 is calculated by adding up the individual verified UTR Ratings of the six highest, most reliably-rated players on a team. Each match in the men's tournament was predicted correctly by UTR Power 6.
Callum Gale clinched the title for the Golden Hurricanes at the No. 2 singles position, while graduate student Thiago Pernas was named tournament MVP after going undefeated in singles action at the No. 1 position.
“It’s an unreal feeling,” said Thiago Pernas, Tulsa graduate student and men’s MVP. “We went through a really tough season. This is something special that we achieved as a team. We came here, I believe with no huge expectations, but this is a result.”
Doubles
No. 1 Alex Okonkwo/Thiago Gale (TLS) def. Justas Trainauskas/Ran Amar (PAC), 6-4
No. 2 Gus Tettamble/Timothy Carlsson Seger (TLS) def. Tommy Czaplinski/Tiago Silva (PAC), 6-4
No. 3 Vova Zakharov/Thiago Pernas (TLS) vs. Christof Schaertlin/Andre Rodeia (PAC), 4-5
Tulsa wins the doubles point
Singles
No. 1 Thiago Pernas (TLS) def. Justas Trainauskas (PAC), 6-2, 7-5
No. 2 Callum Gale (TLS) def. Tiago Silva (PAC), 6-4, 3-6, 6-1*
No. 3 Volodymyr Zakharov (TLS) def. Terence Das (PAC), 6-3, 6-1
No. 4 Timothy Carlsson Seger (TLS) vs. Ran Amar (PAC), 7-6(2), 4-5
No. 5 Alex Okonkwo (TLS) vs. Andre Rodeia (PAC), 6-7(6), 6-3
No. 6 Tommy Czaplinski (PAC) def. Gus Tettamble (TLS), 6-2, 7-6(6)
*Clinch
"We had a lot of highs and we had a lot of lows and not to make the NCAA tournament and then to get to come here and play this event, which is new, in which you mirror basketball, it's another national championship,” said Vince Westbrook, Tulsa men’s tennis coach. “UTR did a very good job of running a first-class event."
"I couldn't be prouder of our guys. It was really a team effort if you look at it: We had six guys so it was up to them and that was our whole depth. I'm really proud that at times during this tournament, they all contributed one way or another. As a coach can't ask for more than that."
May 7: Tulsa Beats West Virginia 4-3, Faces Colorado in NIT Final
Tulsa will have a chance to sweep the men's and women's NIT Titles on Wednesday as the Tulsa women beat West Virginia 4-3 in a tight battle at IMG Academy that finished after 10 p.m. Tuesday.
No. 3 Tulsa def. No. 2 West Virginia, 4-3
Doubles
No. 1 Michaela Kucharova/Momoko Nagato (WVU) def. Maria Berlanga Bandera/Lily Hutchings (TUL) 6-4
No. 2 Ting-Pei Chang and Maja Dodik (WVU) vs.Oleksandra Nahurska/Ana Naranjo Martinez 5-3 (TUL) (unfinished)
No. 3 Love-Star Alexis/Tatiana Lipatova (WVU) def. Tayla Wilmot/Erin McKenzie (TUL) 6-4
Singles
No. 1 Maria Berlanga Bandera (TUL) def. Love-Star Alexis (WVU), 6-3, 7-6(1)
No. 2 Oleksandra Nahurska (TUL) vs. Momoko Nagato (WVU), 2-6, 6-4, 6-1
No. 3 Lily Hutchings (TUL) def. Michaela Kucharova (WVU), 4-6, 7-5, 6-4
No. 4 Ana Naranjo (TUL) vs. Maja Dodik (WVU), 3-6, 7-5, 6-4*
No. 5 Tatiana Lipatova (WVU) def. Erin Mckenzie (TUL), 5-7, 6-4, 6-1
No. 6 Ting-Pei Chang (WVU) def. Tayla Wilmot 6-3, 6-0
*Clinch
May 7: Colorado Clinches Place in Women's Final
Women's final set for Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. EST.
No. 1 Colorado def. No. 3 Liberty, 4-1
Doubles
No. 1 Tiffany Nguyen/Maria Parra Romero (LIB) def. Aya El Sayed/Pia Rebec (CU) 7-6(4)
No. 2 Mila Stanojevic/Elys Ventura (CU) def. Anya Nelson/Ema Bubalo (LIB) 6-2
No. 3 Anya Nelson/Ema Bubalo (CU) def. Anya Nelson/Ema Bubalo (LIB) 7-6(6)
Colorado wins the doubles point
Singles
No. 1 Maria Parra Romero (LIB) vs. Aya El Sayed (CU), 6-1, 6-3
No. 2 Elys Saguil Ventura (CU) vs. Tiffany Nguyen (LIB), 6-4, 6-4*
No. 3 Mila Stanojevic (CU) def. Esther Lovato (LIB), 6-1, 6-3
No. 4 Betina Tokac (CU) vs. Daniella O'Neill (LIB), 6-4, 6-6(2) (unfinished)
No. 5 Alexandra Abyasova (CU) vs. Maria Carolina Ferreira Turchetto (LIB), 6-3, 6-2
No. 6 Pia Rebec (CU) vs. Sadie Daavettila (LIB), 7-6(3), 5-3
*Clinch
May 7: Tulsa, Pacific Advance to Men's Final
The men's final will take place on Wednesday at 9 a.m. EST.
No. 2 Pacific def. No. 3 Liberty, 4-0
Doubles
No. 1 Justas Trainauskas/Ran Amar (PAC) def. Thando Longwe-Smith/Rafa Marques da Silva (LIB), 7-6(3)
No. 2 Tommy Czaplinski/Tiago Silva (PAC) def. Deji Thomas-Smith/Chase Robinson (LIB), 6-3
No. 3 Matija Samardzic /Romeo Hadzimehmedovic (LIB) def. Christof Schaertlin/Andre Rodeia (PAC), 6-3
Pacific wins the doubles point
Singles
No. 1 Justas Trainauskas (PAC) vs. Rafael Marques da Silva (LIB), 4-6, 6-3, 0-2 (unfinished)
No. 2 vs. Tiago Silva (PAC) vs. Deji Thomas-Smith (LIB), 4-6, 6-0, 4-2(unfinished)
No. 3 Terence Das (PAC) def. Thando Longwe-Smit (LIB), 6-4, 6-3
No. 4 Ran Amar (PAC) def. Rodrigo Santiago (LIB), 6-3, 6-3*
No. 5 Andre Rodeia (PAC) vs. Chase Robinson (LIB), 6-7(3), 1-1(unfinished)
No. 6 Tommy Czaplinski (PAC) def. Matija Samardzic (LIB), 6-2, 7-5
*Clinch
No. 1 Tulsa def. No. 4 Santa Clara, 4-1
Doubles
No. 1 Alex Okonkwo/Thiago Gale (TLS) vs. Guillaume Dalmasso/Christian Lerby (SCU), 5-6(unfinished)
No. 2 Gus Tettamble/Timothy Carlsson Seger (TLS) def. Lukas Maskow/Tiago Boschmans (SCU), 7-5
No. 3 Vova Zakharov/Thiago Pernas (TLS) def. Sebastian Buxman/Arjun Honnappa (SCU), 6-3
Tulsa wins the doubles point
Singles
No. 1 Thiago Pernas (TLS) vs. Christian Lerby (SCU), 6-1, 7-6(3)
No. 2 Guillaume Dalmasso (SCU) def. Callum Gale (TLS), 6-2, 6-2
No. 3 Volodymyr Zakharov (TLS) vs. Sebastian Buxman (SCU), 3-6, 7-5, 1-1(unfinished)
No. 4 Timothy Carlsson Seger (TLS) vs. Lukas Maskow (SCU), 2-6, 6-2, 5-5(unfinished)
No. 5 Alex Okonkwo (TLS) def. Tiago Boschmans (SCU), 6-3, 6-2
No. 6 Gus Tettamble (TLS) def. Alex Watanabe Eriksson (SCU), 3-6, 6-2, 6-0*
*Clinch
With Tulsa easing past Santa Clara in the morning on Tuesday and Pacific shutting out Liberty, it will be the No. 1 vs. the No. 2 seed in the men's final on Wednesday. All seedings were based on UTR Power 6 ratings.
May 6: Men's and Women's Semifinals Set
On Tuesday, the men's semifinals will take to the courts at the IMG Academy starting at 9 a.m. EST with Tulsa vs. Santa Clara, followed by Liberty vs. Pacific.
The women's semifinals will follow with Colorado vs. Liberty, and Tulsa vs. West Virginia.
May 6: Women’s Quarterfinal Results
The women’s teams took the courts on Monday to compete for semifinal berths, starting with No. 1 Colorado vs. St. Mary’s College of California at 9 a.m. EST. The rest of the day will see No. 4 Liberty vs. Appalachian State, No. 3 Tulsa vs. Wyoming, and finally, No. 2 West Virginia University vs. Pacific.
No. 1 Colorado def. St. Mary’s College of California, 4-0
Doubles
No. 1 Aya El Sayed/Pia Rebec (COL) vs. Iman Khan/Olivia Rook (SMC), 4-3 (unfinished)
No. 2 Mila Stanojevic/Elys Ventura (COL) def. Juliette Daries / Tian Yu Dong (SMC), 6-2
No. 3 Anya Nelson/Ema Bubalo (COL) def. MiaAngelina Ruja/Madison Weekley (SMC), 6-1
Colorado wins the doubles point
Singles
No. 1 Aya El Sayed (COL) vs. Iman Khan (SMC), 3-6, 6-3, 2-1 (unfinished)
No. 2 Elys Ventura (COL) vs. MiaAngelina Ruja (SMC), 2-6, 5-5 (unfinished)
No. 3 Mila Stanojevic (COL) def. Juliette Daries (SMC), 6-2, 7-6(5)*
No. 4 Betina Tokac (COL) def. Tian Yu Dong (SMC), 6-3, 6-3
No. 5 Alex Abyasova (COL) vs. Olivia Rook (SMC), 2-6, 3-3
No. 6 Pia Rebec (COL) def. Madison Weekley (SMC), 6-3, 6-1
*Clinch
No. 4 Liberty def. Appalachian State, 4-3
Doubles
No. 1 Tiffany Nguyen/Maria Juliana Parra Romero (LIB) def. Savannah Dada-Mascoll/Ellie Murphy (APP), 6-2
No. 2 Daniella O’Neill/Maria Turchetto (LIB) vs. Taya Powell/Olwyn Ryan-Bovey (APP), 4-5 (unfinished)
No. 3 Marina Davtyan/Esther Lovato (LIB) def. Maggie Pate/Naledi Manyube (APP), 6-2
Liberty wins the doubles point
Singles
No. 1 Savannah Dada-Mascoll (APP) def. María Juliana Parra Romero (LIB), 7-5, 6-4
No. 2 Tiffany Nguyen (LIB) def. Taya Powell (APP), 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3*
No. 3 Esther Lovato (LIB) def. Olwyn Ryan-Bovey (APP), 6-0, 6-0
No. 4 Daniella O’Neill (LIB) def. Maggie Pate (APP), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
No. 5 Naledi Manyube (APP) def. Maria Carolina Ferreira (LIB), 7-6(4), 1-6, 6-3
No. 6 Ellie Murphy (APP) def. Sadie Daavettila (LIB), 6-3, 7-6(5)
*Clinch
No. 3 Tulsa def. Wyoming, 4-0
Doubles
No. 1 Maria Berlanga Bandera/Lily Hutchings (TLS) def. Sophie Zehender/Violetta Borodina (WYO), 6-4
No. 2 Noesjka Brink/Nikol Dobrilova (WYO) def. Oleksandra Nahurska/Ana Naranjo Martinez (TLS), 6-1
No. 3 Tayla Wilmot/Erin McKenzie (TLS) def. Lucia Malinak/Serina Abriola (WYO), 6-3
Tulsa wins the doubles point
Singles
No. 1 Maria Berlanga Bandera (TLS) vs. Sophie Zehender (WYO), 3-6, 3-4
No. 2 Oleksandra Nahurska (TLS) vs. Noesjka Brink (WYO), 3-6, 3-3
No. 3 Lily Hutchings (TLS) vs. Violetta Borodina (WYO), 7-6(3)
No. 4 Ana Naranjo Martinez (TLS) def. Nikol Dobrilova (WYO), 6-4, 6-1*
No. 5 Erin McKenzie (TLS) def. Adel Ismagulova (WYO), 6-0, 6-2
No. 6 Tayla Wilmot (TLS) def. Lucia Malinak (WYO), 6-0, 6-2
*Clinch
No. 2 West Virginia def. Pacific, 4-2
Doubles
No. 1 Klara Kosan/Tomi Main (PAC) def. Momoko Nagato / Michaela Kucharova (WVU), 6-4
No. 2 Maja Dodik / Ting Pei Chang (WVU) def. Alexis Sam/Milena Maiorova (PAC), 6-4
No. 3 Love-Star Alexis / Tatiana Lipatova (WVU) def. Megan Carmichael/Indiya McLeod (PAC), 6-2
West Virginia wins the doubles point
Singles
No. 1 Klara Kosan (PAC) def. Love-Star Alexis (WVU), 6-2, 2-6, 6-2
No. 2 Momoko Nagato (WVU) def. Tomi Main (PAC), 6-3, 6-3
No. 3 Michaela Kucharova (WVU) def. Megan Carmichael (PAC), 6-2, 6-1
No. 4 Maja Dodik (WVU) vdefs. Indiya Mcleod (PAC), 6-4, 5-7, 6-3*
No. 5 Elizaveta Mladentseva (PAC) def. Tatiana Lipatova (WVU), 6-4, 5-7, 6-3
No. 6 Ting Pei Chang (WVU) vs. Milena Maiorova (PAC), 1-6, 6-4, 5-2 (unfinished)
*Clinch
May 5: Men’s Quarterfinal Results
On Tuesday, the men's semifinals will take to the courts at the IMG Academy with Tulsa vs. Santa Clara, followed by Liberty vs. Pacific.
But let's get caught up first. On Sunday, the 2024 NIT Championship began with the men's quarterfinals, with No. 1 seed Tulsa taking on Saint Louis University, followed by No. 4 Santa Clara vs. No. 5 Northwestern, No. 3 Liberty vs. No. 6 North Alabama, and finally, No. 2 Pacific vs. No. 7 Eastern Kentucky University.
No. 1 Tulsa def. No. 8 Saint Louis, 4-0
Doubles
No. 1 Alex Okonkwo/Thiago Gale (TLS) def. Valentin Vasquez/Declan Townsend (SLU), 6-1
No. 2 Gus Tettamble/Timothy Carlsson Seger (TLS) vs. Ryota Fukushima/Theo Ortis (SLU), 5-1 (unfinished)
No. 3 Vova Zakharov/Thiago Pernas (TLS) vs. Andres Castelanos/Luca Lo Nardo (SLU), 6-0
Tulsa wins the doubles point
Singles
No. 1 Thiago Pernas (TLS) def. Ryota Fukushima (SLU), 6-3, 6-0
No. 2 Callum Gale (TLS) vs. Andres Castellanos (SLU), 7-5, 3-1 (unfinished)
No. 3 Vova Zakharov (TLS) vs. Declan Townsend (SLU), 6-2, 5-2 (unfinished)
No. 4 Timothy Carlsson Seger (TLS) def. Luca Lo Nardo (SLU), 6-0, 6-4
No. 5 Alex Okonkwo (TLS) def. Theo Ortis (SLU), 7-5, 6-1
No. 6 Gus Tettamble (TLS) vs. Valentin Vasquez (SLU), 6-1, 5-4 (unfinished)
No. 4 Santa Clara def. No. 5 Northwestern, 4-2
Doubles
No. 1 Guillaume Dalmasso/Christian Lerby (SCU) def. Gleb Blekher/Felix Nordby (NU), 6-4
No. 2 Lukas Maskow/Tiago Boschmans (SCU) vs. Greyson Casey/Presley Thieneman (NU), 5-6 (unfinished)
No. 3 Sebastian Buxman/Arjun Honnappa (SCU) def. Nick Herdoiza/Jackson Caldwell (NU), 6-3
Santa Clara wins the doubles point
Singles
No. 1 Presley Thieneman (NU) def. Christian Lerby (SCU), 6-4, 6-2
No. 2 Guillaume Dalmasso (SCU) def. Gleb Blekher (NU), 1-6, 6-4, 6-1*
No. 3 Sebastian Buxman (SCU) def. Saiprakash Goli (NU), 6-3, 7-5
No. 4 Lukas Maskow (SCU) vs. Felix Nordby (NU), 5-7, 6-6 (unfinished)
No. 5 Max Bengtsson (NU) def. Tiago Boschmans (SCU), 6-2, 6-3
No. 6 Alex Watanabe Eriksson (SCU) def. Nick Herdoiza (NU), 6-2, 6-3
*Clinch
Santa Clara will face Tulsa in the NIT semifinals on Tuesday.
No. 3 Liberty def. No. 6. North Alabama, 4-1
Doubles
No. 1 Thando Longwe-Smith/Rafa Marques da Silva (LIB) def. Nazar Fedorysyn/Birtan Duran (UNAM), 6-2
No. 2 Izan Orgiles/Lachlan Brain (UNAM) def. Deji Thomas-Smith/Chase Robinson (LIB), 6-4
No. 3 Alberto Altur/Whit Davis (UNAM) def. Matija Samardzic /Romeo Hadzimehmedovic (LIB), 6-2
North Alabama wins the doubles point
Singles
No. 1 Rafael Marques da Silva (LIB) vs. Lachlan Brain (UNAM), 6-4, 3-6, 2-0 (unfinished)
No. 2 Deji Thomas-Smith (LIB) def. Izan Orgiles (UNAM), 6-4, 6-2
No. 3 Thando Longwe-Smit (LIB) def. Birtan Duran (UNAM), 3-6, 7-5, 6-0*
No. 4 Rodrigo Santiago (LIB) def. Nazar Fedoryshyn (UNAM), 6-2, 6-4
No. 5 Chase Robinson (LIB) vs. Alberto Altur Fernandez (UNAM), 6-1, 1-6, 6-5 (unfinished)
No. 6 Matija Samardzic (LIB) def. Whit Davis (UNAM), 6-2, 6-0
*Clinch
No. 2 Pacific def. No. 7 Eastern Kentucky, 4-2
Doubles
No. 1 Mario Monclus / Fernando Bulnes (EKU) def. Justas Trainauskas/Ran Amar (PAC), 6-3
No. 2 Tiago Silva/Tomasz Czaplinski (PAC) def. Moritz Mayer /Anurag Reddy (EKU), 6-3
No. 3 Ryan Kitchin / Kristopher Stahlbrand (EKU) def. Terence Das/Andre Rodeia (PAC), 6-3
Eastern Kentucky wins the doubles point
Singles
No. 1 Fernando Bulnes Garrorena (EKU) def. Justas Trainauskas (PAC), 6-4, 6-4
No. 2 Tiago Silva (PAC) def. Julappagari Anurag Reddy (EKU), 6-2, 6-0
No. 3 Terence Das (PAC) def. Moritz Mayer (EKU), 6-4, 6-2
No. 4 Ran Amar (PAC) def. Kristoffer Stahlbrand (EKU), 6-4, 6-3*
No. 5 Andre Rodeia (PAC) vs. Mario Monclus Martin (EKU), 6-3, 4-6, 2-0 (unfinished)
No. 6 Tomasz Czaplinski (PAC) def. Ryan Kitchin (EKU), 6-0, 6-3
*Clinch
Liberty will face Pacific in the second men's semifinals on Tuesday.
Women's Quarterfinals on Monday
The women's quarterfinals will take to the court on Monday. At 9 a.m. EST, top seed Colorado will play No. 8 Saint Mary’s of California, followed by No. 4 Liberty vs. No. 5. Appalachian State, No. 3. Tulsa vs. No. 6. Wyoming, and No. 2. West Virginia University vs. No. 7. Pacific.
About the NIT Championship
The NIT Championship is an exclusive postseason tournament that welcomes eight of the top men's and women's college tennis teams from across the country to compete for national titles. The tournament allows men’s and women’s teams to gain valuable postseason experience. The teams are selected to participate by the NIT Championship tournament committee, with the teams’ UTR Power 6 ranking among the top criteria for consideration.
Last year, in the NIT's inaugural year, Liberty and TCU took home the men’s and women’s national titles, respectively. Read the 2023 recap here.