Alabama
NCAA Singles Championship
NCAA Champion! Filip Planinsek Makes History by Winning Alabama’s First NCAA Singles Title with Thrilling Come-From-Behind Victory
5/25/2024 5:41:00 PM | Men's Tennis
In addition to winning the Crimson Tide’s first men’s national championship, Planinsek earned the first-ever singles title in school history
STILLWATER, Okla. –– Alabama's Filip Planinsek made program history Saturday, recording the Crimson Tide's first-ever NCAA title in addition to claiming the school's first-ever singles crown between the men's and women's tennis programs. No. 29 Planinsek posted a thrilling 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-2 come-from-behind win against No. 23 Michael Zheng (Columbia) to capture the victory and take his spot atop the NCAA.
????NCAA Champion????
— Alabama Men's Tennis (@AlabamaMTN) May 25, 2024
Filip Planinsek storms back to take the NCAA Singles Crown??#RollTide pic.twitter.com/vabeYVRl21
"So incredibly proud of and happy for Filip," said head coach George Husack. "What a week and one that he took ownership of the minute we returned from Duke. He created his own plan for the coaches and support staff to follow and kept moving forward. Filip became such a better competitor during this month because of how he pushed himself in practice, how he executed under pressure, how he took advantage of opportunities, how he kept his cool in both challenging and frustrating moments, and ultimately how he never stopped leading himself. He played for himself, his family and the University of Alabama. We are so proud of him and this historic first for our program. There ain't no mountain high enough and Filip will continue climbing."
Planinsek's historic run to the national crown included wins over five consecutive top-25 ranked singles players. In addition to downing Zheng in the finals, he defeated No. 17 Cannon Kingsley (Ohio State) in the Round of 32, No. 5 Micah Braswell (Texas) in the Round of 16, No. 15 Cooper Williams (Harvard) in the quarterfinals and No. 9 Ozan Baris (Michigan State) in the semifinals. He also topped No. 118 Jonas Hartenstein (North Florida) in the opening match.
Earlier in the tournament, Planinsek earned All-America honors for reaching the Round of 16, becoming the eighth player in program history to achieve the feat in singles. Additionally, his season was highlighted by a 27-13 overall record, First Team All-Southeastern Conference honors, his second ITA Southern Regional Doubles title and a national ranking in 18 consecutive ITA singles polls.
"I just felt that I can win the next two sets," Planinsek said after dropping the opening set in a tiebreaker. "I was confident of that, and I broke quite early in the second set and then momentum started building. I started building my game. I started being more aggressive.
"I mean, just all that thanks to the coaches, the staff, Katie (Wheeler - athletic trainer), just amazing. I mean, I can't thank them enough. My family, I'm just thrilled."
The Match
- Michael Zheng found the first advantage, recording a break in game five of the opening set to take a 3-2 lead
- After trailing 40-15 in game eight, Planinsek recorded three straight points to capture his first break and tie the set at 4-4
- After both a 5-5 and 6-6 tie, Zheng won the opening set off a 7-4 score in the tiebreak
- Planinsek found an early advantage in the second set, breaking the fifth game for a 3-2 lead
- He would capture his second break in game nine, winning four straight points for a 6-3 victory
- Planinsek launched out of a 1-1 tie in the third, winning three consecutive games to move ahead 4-1 in the final set
- Zheng would win game six, but it would be his last as Planinsek seized the last two games and secured the title
Planinsek's Tournament Results
- Finals | No. 29 Filip Planinsek (UA) def. No. 23 Michael Zheng (Columbia) 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-2
- Semifinals | No. 29 Filip Planinsek (UA) def. No. 9 Ozan Baris (Michigan State) 7-5, 5-7, 7-6(6)
- Quarterfinals | No. 29 Filip Planinsek (UA) def. No. 15 Cooper Williams (Harvard) 6-4, 1-6, 6-4
- Round of 16 | No. 29 Filip Planinsek (UA) def. No. 5 Micah Braswell (Texas) 6-4, 6-4
- Round of 32 | No. 29 Filip Planinsek (UA) def. No. 17 Cannon Kingsley (Ohio State) 7-6(5), 6-1
- Round of 64 | No. 29 Filip Planinsek (UA) def. No. 118 Jonas Hartenstein (North Florida) 6-2, 6-1
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Team Stats
# Singles Match
Players Mentioned
