After traveling 1,132 miles to Columbus, Ohio, No. 14 Texas A&M men’s tennis faced off against No. 4 Ohio State at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center on Friday, February 7, 2025.
Both teams were eager to rebound from recent losses, with the Aggies (3-1) looking to recover from a loss to Pepperdine and the Buckeyes (5-1) aiming to bounce back after a defeat at the hands of No. 2 Wake Forest by a 4-3 score.
Things got going in the doubles round where Ohio State struck first with the duo of sophomore Bryce Nakashima and redshirt sophomore Preston Stearns defeating A&M’s senior duo, Luke Casper and JC Roddick, 6-4 on Court 2.
Despite the near five-hundred Buckeye faithful in attendance, the Aggies were able to quiet the noise as redshirt freshman Ritesh Patil and sophomore Tiago Pires defeated freshman Nikita Filin and redshirt freshman Brandon Carpico by the same 6-4 score on Court 3.
That left the decisive doubles match on Court 1, a back-and-forth battle between A&M’s top duo in freshman Theo Papamalamis and junior Togan Tokac and Ohio State’s sophomore Aidan Kim and junior Will Jansen. The match went down to the wire, where the Aggies prevailed 7-5, clinching the doubles point to give Texas A&M an early 1-0 advantage, momentarily silencing the home crowd.
The Buckeyes responded emphatically in singles play, winning five of six matches to get back in the contest. Senior Chris Li put Ohio State on the board with a commanding 6-2 win over Tokac.
Momentum continued shifting in the Buckeyes’ favor as they secured the next two singles matches to take a commanding 3-1 lead. Junior Jack Anthrop extended Ohio State’s advantage with a dominant 6-3, 6-1 victory on Court 4.
As expected in a top-15 showdown, a win would not come so easy for the Buckeyes without the Aggies making a rallying effort. Facing elimination, the Maroon and White turned to senior JC Roddick for a much-needed point. Roddick delivered, securing a hard-fought win over No. 47 Alexander Bernard to cut the deficit to 3-2 and keep Texas A&M’s hopes alive.
Despite the efforts of the Fightin’ Farmers, Aidan Kim delivered the final blow. Returning to form, the No. 22 player took down No. 60 freshman Theo Papamalamis 6-3, 6-4, clinching the match for the Buckeyes with a 4-2 victory.
The Buckeyes’ ability to overcome an early deficit propelled them to a 6-1 record on the season, while Texas A&M falls to 3-2. This victory also marked Ohio State’s fifth consecutive win over the Aggies, further cementing their dominance in the series.
With back-to-back losses and a crucial trip to Dallas for the ITA National Team Indoors on Feb. 14, the Aggies must regroup and rediscover the form that once solidified them as one of the nation’s premier tennis programs.
