UCLA’s Mackenzie McDonald wins NCAA men’s tennis title

UCLA’s Mackenzie McDonald upset top-seeded Mikael Torpegaard of Ohio State, 6-3, 6-3, to win the men’s singles title at the NCAA tournament on Monday.

Danielle Collins of Virginia defeated top-seeded Hayley Carter of North Carolina, 6-3, 6-2, to earn her second women’s singles title.

McDonald had little time to enjoy his championship since he was scheduled to play in the doubles final in the afternoon.

“It feels unbelievable,” McDonald said. “I've always dreamed of this moment; to actually have the trophy is surreal.”

McDonald, 22-1 and seeded sixth, lost the first game on deuce point but won the next four and never let up. In the second set, Torpegaard (34-5) made it, 4-3, but McDonald able to close it out 

“There were a lot of deuce games and I had to stay mentally tough,” McDonald said. “I think I definitely got the upper hand on more of those deuce games, but he really pushed me.” 

Rivals in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Collins and Carter faced each other on May 19 but did not complete their match because Virginia had already clinched a 4-2  win in the NCAA team tournament’s round of 16. 

Collins won her first national title in 2014. She was seeded second, and won the final three games of the first set, before rolling to a 5-1 lead in the second before closing out the match.