Blaine Boyden bounced the ball twice before throwing it up into the air.
Everything slowed as the ball hovered above his head before the lone senior hit his iconic serve. The yellow ball hit midcourt and connected off-kilter with Blue Devil Vincent Lin’s racket, flying out of bounds. With a raise of his racket, Boyden walked to the net to shake Lin’s hand, signifying the end of the Court Four match.
The lone senior remained humble after his win, standing on the sidelines to cheer on his teammates as they continued to battle through the team’s ACC opener. He was one of the two unsung heroes during No. 6 North Carolina men’s tennis’ 4-1 win over Duke, which marked the team’s first outdoor match of the season.
This was the second time the team has won the Battle of the Blues this season.
“It’s a rich history within the rivalry,” Boyden said. “Both teams are obviously wanting to win that one bad. It’s always going to be a battle with UNC-Duke so it’s really special to get the win heading into the ACC season.”
UNC had two standouts nestled in a star-studded lineup — Boyden and junior Simon Soendergaard. Both competed in doubles, ultimately winning their separate matches, and stepped up in singles, although Soendergaard wasn’t originally slated to play.
The Denmark native is coming off of an injury, stepping back onto campus in January after spending last semester at home. But as he and sophomore Mac Kiger battled for a 7-5 victory in doubles, he played as if no time had passed.
“At the beginning of the season, I hadn’t played any matches for a long time, but I’m starting to get into my rhythm now,” Soendergaard said. “It’s nice being back on the court. It’s better than being on the sidelines.”
After sophomore Benjamin Sigouin couldn’t compete during singles, Soendergaard entered the lineup on Court Six. Once the junior stepped onto the singles court, he dominated. He won 6-1, 6-2 as the first Tar Heel to finish in singles play.
