Carpico and Filin Advance to US Open Wildcard Playoff Finale
6/17/2026 9:36:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The winner of the final earns a spot in the US Open main draw
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Redshirt sophomore Brandon Carpico and sophomore Nikita Filin advanced to the 2026 American Collegiate Player Wildcard Playoff Finals on Thursday after winning a match in two straight sets Wednesday at the USTA National Campus' Collegiate Center in Orlando, Florida.
Carpico and Filin will play Indiana's Michael Andre and Matteo Antonescu Thursday with the winner earning a spot in the main draw of the US Open later this year. The time is still to be determined for the match.
The pair faced off against Northwestern's Greyson Casey and Carter Pate in a best-of-three match ending in a 6-3, 6-2 win for the Buckeye duo.
Carpico and Filin continued their excellence in doubles, getting out to a quick 6-3 set one. The pair continued their momentum in the second set, winning five out of the first six games and clinching a spot in the final with a 6-2 set two victory.
The second-year playoff is part of an expanded NCAA-linked wild card pilot program that guarantees at least six US Open wild cards to American collegiate players each year, coinciding with the NCAA DI Individual Championships shifting to the fall.
Player selections were determined by a committee made up of USTA staff, college tennis coaches and an ITA representative. American NCAA singles and doubles champions this season along with the finalists earned automatic entry.
Carpico and Filin automatically qualified by making the finals of the 2025 NCAA Doubles Championship last fall, earning them All-America status in doubles.
Filin and Carpico were ranked as high as No. 1 in the ITA weekly rankings in the 2026 season. The pair finished with an overall record of 37-6 with a 22-3 record in duals play. Playing primarily at the No. 1 doubles spot, they put together a 15-2 record at the top of Ohio State's doubles lineup. Overall, the pair was 17-3 against nationally-ranked opponents in 2025-26.
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