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COLUMBUS, Ohio - Credit to Callaghan Family Head Men's Tennis Coach Ryan Sachire, who paired Peter Nad & Chase Thompson together for the ITA Midwest Regionals. That decision paid off in a major way, as Nad & Thompson fought through a talented ITA Midwest Regionals field to claim the doubles crown. Thus, the duo booked their ticket to the 2026 NCAA Doubles Championships in Athens, Georgia, in Mid-November.
Nad/Thompson became the first Irish doubles team to win the ITA Midwest title since Richard Ciamarra and Tristan McCormick in 2018.
Furthermore, Nad & Thompson qualifying for NCAAs means Notre Dame adds to their legendary streak of sending individual qualifiers. In fact, this marks 22 straight years in which a Notre Dame men's tennis player has qualified for the NCAA Individual Championships - the second-longest streak in the country.
In addition, this will mark the fourth consecutive year with a Notre Dame doubles team participating at NCAAs and the sixth time out of the last eight years.
“I couldn’t be happier for Peter and Chase," Coach Sachire stated. "The last two days, they came back from a set down to win. Throughout both matches, they kept competing until they found an amazing level to close out the matches. They’ve both worked extremely hard.
"This title and the opportunity to compete in the NCAA Championships is a by-product of that work. We are ready to get back to work in a couple of days.”
Nad and Thompson earned a first-round bye in the tournament before going 5-0 on the week.
In the championship match on Tuesday, Nad & Thompson faced off against the Illinois tandem of Adam Jilly & David Bakonyi. After dropping a tough first-set tiebreak 6-7(5), the Irish duo bounced back in the second set, 6-3.
In the third-set super tiebreak, the match was tied at six-all, and that's when Nad/Thompson found a new gear, a championship gear, if you will. The ND tandem fired off four consecutive points to take it 10-6.
Nad & Thompson's Path to the Title
- Peter Nad/Chase Thompson (ND) def. Eldin Nokic/Vanja Hodzic (UIC), 8-4
- Peter Nad/Chase Thompson (ND) def. Lorenzo Leti Messina/Constantin Radu (NIU), 8-3
- Quarterfinals: Peter Nad/Chase Thompson (ND) def. Gustavo Albieri/Alex Cairo (MICH), 8-2
- Semifinals: Peter Nad/Chase Thompson (ND) def. Colson Wells/Jeremy Zhang (ILL), 4-6, 7-5, 10-5
- Finals: Peter Nad/Chase Thompson (ND) def. Adam Jilly/David Bakonyi (ILL), 6-7(5), 6-3, 10-6
-- ND --