Monday, September 28
Columbus, Ohio
All Day
Ohio State
vs
Columbus Challenger
Filin and Carpico Claim the Doubles Title of the Columbus Challenger
10/3/2026 1:08:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The steadfast pairing of Nikita Filin and Brandon Carpico claimed their first ATP Challenger doubles title together on Saturday.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State men's tennis team entered the Columbus Challenger with seven Buckeyes competing.
Senior Bryce Nakashima and junior Nikita Filin both participated in singles. Filin fell in the first round of the competition to Aidan Mayo who is ranked No. 356 in the world, while Nakashima fell in the round of 16 to Keegan Smith, a former UCLA tennis player who is ranked at No. 199 by the ATP.
In doubles, three pairs of Buckeyes reached the tournament quarterfinals. Matthew Forbes and Denis Petak fell in that round to Daniel Milavsky and Braden Schick who were the No. 1 seeds of the tournament. The pairing of Alex Okonkwo and Preston Stearns advanced to the semifinals to face their teammates Brandon Carpico and Nikita Filin. To reach the semifinals, Carpico and Filin had to defeat two-time Columbus Challenger doubles champion and former Buckeye, James Trotter and his partner Luis David Martinez.
Filin and Carpico took the semifinals win, but Okonkwo and Stearns made it a battle. The first set went to an 11-9 tiebreak, in favor of Filin and Carpico, who then took the second set 6-3 to head to the tournament championship.
In the finals, Carpico and Filin faced the tournament No. 1 seeds Milavsky and Schick, where they battled for three sets. The Buckeye's came out victorious with a 7-6 (7-3), 2-6, 10-4 win to clinch both Filin and Carpico's first ATP Challenger title. This is their second title of the fall, coming off a win at the ITA All-American Championships to qualify for the NCAA Doubles in the fall and become All-Americans.
Columbus Challenger Results
Singles
The Buckeyes will have a small break before hosting the ITA Midwest Regional Championships from Oct. 14-20. Nine buckeyes are still looking for a way to qualify for the NCAA Singles Championships, with seven looking to qualify for the NCAA Doubles Championships in November. The ITA Regional Championships will provide an opportunity for two singles players and one doubles pairing from each of the 13 regional sites to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
Senior Bryce Nakashima and junior Nikita Filin both participated in singles. Filin fell in the first round of the competition to Aidan Mayo who is ranked No. 356 in the world, while Nakashima fell in the round of 16 to Keegan Smith, a former UCLA tennis player who is ranked at No. 199 by the ATP.
In doubles, three pairs of Buckeyes reached the tournament quarterfinals. Matthew Forbes and Denis Petak fell in that round to Daniel Milavsky and Braden Schick who were the No. 1 seeds of the tournament. The pairing of Alex Okonkwo and Preston Stearns advanced to the semifinals to face their teammates Brandon Carpico and Nikita Filin. To reach the semifinals, Carpico and Filin had to defeat two-time Columbus Challenger doubles champion and former Buckeye, James Trotter and his partner Luis David Martinez.
Filin and Carpico took the semifinals win, but Okonkwo and Stearns made it a battle. The first set went to an 11-9 tiebreak, in favor of Filin and Carpico, who then took the second set 6-3 to head to the tournament championship.
In the finals, Carpico and Filin faced the tournament No. 1 seeds Milavsky and Schick, where they battled for three sets. The Buckeye's came out victorious with a 7-6 (7-3), 2-6, 10-4 win to clinch both Filin and Carpico's first ATP Challenger title. This is their second title of the fall, coming off a win at the ITA All-American Championships to qualify for the NCAA Doubles in the fall and become All-Americans.
Columbus Challenger Results
Singles
- Round of 32: Bryce Nakashima (OSU-USA) def. Jack Kennedy (Virginia-USA) 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (10-8)
- Round of 32: Aidan Mayo (USA) def. Nikita Filin (OSU-USA) 6-4, 6-4
- Round of 16: Keegan Smith (USA) def. Bryce Nakashima (OSU-USA) 6-4, 3-6, 7-5
- Round of 16: Okonkwo/Stearns (OSU-GBR/USA) def. Jarvis/Vance (USA/USA) 7-5, 7-5
- Round of 16: Forbes/Petak (OSU-USA/CZE) def. Mayo/Vance (USA/USA) 2-6, 6-3, 10-8
- Round of 16: Carpico/Filin (OSU-USA/USA) def. Mitsui/Tu (JAP/AUS) walkover
- Quarterfinals: Okonkwo/Stearns (OSU-GBR/USA) def. Ayeni/Suarez (USA/USA) 6-3, 7-5
- Quarterfinals: Carpico/Filin (OSU-USA/USA) def. Martinez/Trotter (VEN/JAP) 6-3, 6-4
- Quarterfinals: Milavsky/Schick (USA/USA) def. Forbes/Petak (OSU-USA/CZE) 7-5, 7-6 (7-1)
- Semifinals: Carpico/Filin (OSU-USA/USA) def. Okonkwo/Stearns (OSU-GBR/USA) 7-6 (11-9)
- Finals: Carpico/Filin (OSU-USA/USA) def. Milavsky/Schick (USA/USA) 7-6 (7-3), 2-6, 10-4
The Buckeyes will have a small break before hosting the ITA Midwest Regional Championships from Oct. 14-20. Nine buckeyes are still looking for a way to qualify for the NCAA Singles Championships, with seven looking to qualify for the NCAA Doubles Championships in November. The ITA Regional Championships will provide an opportunity for two singles players and one doubles pairing from each of the 13 regional sites to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
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