ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Notre Dame Men’s Tennis’ Sebastian Dominko continued to cement his legacy at Notre Dame this past weekend at ITA Sectionals. The senior made the most of his last chance to qualify for the NCAA Singles Championships, rattling off three straight ranked wins to qualify. As a result, Dominko has now booked his ticket to the NCAA Singles Championships for all four years in college.
That kind of accomplishment puts Dominko in rare air. In fact, it hasn’t been accomplished in 25 years. He’s the third all-time to qualify all four years, joining his head coach Ryan Sachire and five-time All-American David DiLucia.
Furthermore, Dominko becomes the first seven-time NCAA individual championship qualifier (singles & doubles) in the history of Notre Dame Tennis.
To punch his ticket, No. 10 Dominko first knocked off No. 59 Zsombor Velcz of Baylor, 6-1, 7-5. Then, the senior delivered an emphatic 6-1, 6-2, win over No. 26 Loren Byers of Ohio State. Lastly, Dominko cruised past No. 122 Tiago Pires of Texas A&M, 6-2, 6-3.
All-in-all, Dominko continued the great legacy of singles qualifiers at Notre Dame, and most importantly, kept the streak alive – making it 21 consecutive years with an NCAA singles qualifier. It marks the second-longest streak in the country.
Lastly, Dominko wasn’t the only Irish player at ITA Sectionals. Graduate transfer Perry Gregg did not earn a spot at the NCAA Singles Championships, but did pick up several quality wins in Consolation.
Gregg was bested in the opening main draw round 7-6(2), 6-3 by No. 125 Derek Pham of Oklahoma State. However, Gregg rebounded with three straight wins, including a ranked victory over No. 30 Alexander Bernard of Ohio State, 6-1, 7-5.
The Irish almost had a duo qualify for the NCAA Doubles Championships, coming up just one match short. The tandem of Peter Nad & Luis Llorens Saracho (ranked 69th) knocked off No. 25 Smillie/Vrba of Arkansas, 6-2, 6-2, in the quarters.
After a loss in the semis, the Irish duo competed for the third and final spot but fell 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-10 to No. 4 Cosme Rolland De Ravel/Albert Pedrico Kravtsov (TCU).
DOUBLES MAIN DRAW RESULTS
- R16: #65 Peter Nad/Luis Llorens Saracho (ND) def. Danial Rakhmatullayev/Taym Alazmeh (MSU), 6-4, 6-2
- QF: #65 Peter Nad/Luis Llorens Saracho (ND) def. #25 Connor Smillie/Jakub Vrba (ARK), 6-2, 6-2
- SF: #49 Max Dahlin/Bjorn Swenson (MICH) def. #65 Peter Nad/Luis Llorens Saracho (ND), 7-5, 6-4
- Playoff: #4 Cosme Rolland De Ravel/Albert Pedrico Kravtsov (TCU) def. #65 Peter Nad/Luis Llorens Saracho (ND), 6-7(3), 7-5, 10-6
ABOUT ITA SECTIONALS
ITA Sectionals will take place at four different sections/sites across the country. Only players and doubles teams who have yet to earn entry into the NCAA Championships and have made deep runs at the ITA All-American or ITA Regional Championships will be eligible for participation.
The 2025 ITA Sectional Championships will have a draw size of the following, (Singles: 32) (Doubles: 16). From this, six singles players from each section (24) will qualify for the NCAA Singles Championship (semifinalists, two quarterfinal playoff winners). Meanwhile, three doubles teams from each section (12) will qualify for the NCAA Doubles Championship through the Sectional Championships (champion, finalist, third place).
ABOUT THE NCAA INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
The NCAA Individual Championships are in the second year of a two-year pilot program designed by the NCAA Division I Competition Oversight Committee, which positions the NCAA Division I Individual Championships in November rather than in May following the NCAA Team Championships.
This year’s NCAA Individual Championships will take athletes to Lake Nona, Florida where they will compete at the USTA National Campus. These championships will take place from November 18-23.
Consisting of four events in which players can qualify from, the NCAA Individual Championship pathway is made up of the ITA All-American Championships, ITA Regional Championships, ITA Sectional Championships, and ITA Conference Masters Championships.
SINGLES MAIN DRAW RESULTS
- R32: #10 Sebastian Dominko (ND) def. #59 Zsombor Velcz (BAY), 6-1, 7-5
- R16: #10 Sebastian Dominko (ND) def. #26 Loren Byers (OSU), 6-1, 6-2
- QF: #10 Sebastian Dominko (ND) def. #122 Tiago Pires (TAMU), 6-2, 6-3
- R32: #125 Derek Pham (OKST) def. Perry Gregg (ND), 7-6(2), 6-3
DOUBLES MAIN DRAW RESULTS
- R16: #65 Peter Nad/Luis Llorens Saracho (ND) def. Danial Rakhmatullayev/Taym Alazmeh (MSU), 6-4, 6-2
- QF: #65 Peter Nad/Luis Llorens Saracho (ND) def. #25 Connor Smillie/Jakub Vrba (ARK), 6-2, 6-2
- SF: #49 Max Dahlin/Bjorn Swenson (MICH) def. #65 Peter Nad/Luis Llorens Saracho (ND), 7-5, 6-4
- Playoff: #4 Cosme Rolland De Ravel/Albert Pedrico Kravtsov (TCU) def. #65 Peter Nad/Luis Llorens Saracho (ND), 6-7(3), 7-5, 10-6
CONSOLATION
- Perry Gregg (ND) def. Moritz Kudernatsch (MEM), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
- Perry Gregg (ND) def. #30 Alexander Bernard (OSU), 6-1, 7-5
- Perry Gregg (ND) def. Adam Jilly (ILL), 5-7, 6-2, 7-6(3)
— ND —