Men's Tennis | 4/24/2026 4:53:30 PM

CARY, N.C., April 24, 2026 – Day two of the 2026 MEAC Men’s Tennis Championship concluded with No. 1 seed South Carolina State advancing to the championship round, while No. 3 seed Norfolk State pulled off an upset over No. 2 North Carolina Central to reach the title match. 

The championship showdown is set for 12 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+. 

Match 1: No. 1 South Carolina State def. No. 5 Howard l 4-0 

The Bulldogs of South Carolina State defeated the Howard Bison in convincing fashion, 4–0, to advance to the championship round. 

The Bulldogs secured the doubles point with victories at No. 1 and No. 3. At No. 1 doubles, the standout duo of Mikalai Bankou and Novak Novakovic, both All-Conference First Team members, defeated Howard’s Michael Major Jr. and Kamran McIntosh-Ross, 6-4. At No. 3 doubles, Zamora Bastian and Gabriel Johnson delivered a strong performance, winning 6-2. 

South Carolina State continued its dominance in singles play, claiming wins at No. 1, No. 2, and No. 6. The Bulldogs now advance to the MEAC Championship, where they will look to extend their streak to six consecutive titles. 

Match 2: No. 3 Norfolk State def. No. 2 North Carolina Central l 4-1. 

The Norfolk State Spartans defeated North Carolina Central to advance and will face South Carolina State for the program’s first MEAC men’s tennis championship. 

No. 2 seed North Carolina Central opened doubles play with a 6–4 win at the No. 1 position. However, Norfolk State responded by winning at No. 2 and No. 3 to secure the doubles point. 

Norfolk State carried that momentum into singles play and pulled away. At No. 2, Szymon Malecki defeated Rodrigo Alves 6–3, 6–2. Dominik Simunovic earned a hard-fought victory over Antoni Pankowski, 6–3, 4–6, 6–2. At No. 4, Kasper Kilpa added another point with a 6–3, 7–5 win over Leo Fortier Gariepy at No. 6. 

No. 1 seed South Carolina State will face No. 3 Norfolk State in the MEAC Championship final on Saturday, April 25, at 12:00 p.m. ET, live on ESPN+. 

For additional information, including brackets, team info, and live scoring, please visit the Tennis Championship Central page at MEACSports.com.