On July 9, 2022, sophomore Paul Inchauspe matched up against Sebastian Gorzny in the 2022 Wimbledon Boys Doubles Final. As a then-high school student, Inchauspe ultimately fell short of the coveted title, losing to Gorzny and Alex Michelsen.
865 days later, Inchauspe got his revenge on Gorzny — 4,835 miles removed from the storied All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club — in Waco, Texas in the second round of the NCAA singles tournament, becoming the first Princeton tennis player since Ted Farnsworth ’84 in 1983 to reach the round of 16 in the NCAA Singles Championships. With the win, Inchauspe also secured All-American status for the 2024 season.
DOWN GOES #1!
— John (@JTweetsTennis) November 20, 2024
Princeton’s Paul Inchauspe beats #1 Sebastian Gorzny 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 to make the #NCAATennis round of 16. 🐯 pic.twitter.com/oDxVIidTn3
Inchauspe came out of the gates strong behind his powerful groundstrokes and aggressive play. He commanded the first set, besting Gorzny 6–2. However, Gorzny — the tournament’s No. 1 seed and the 2024 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) doubles All-American — recovered and demonstrated the play that had earned him the tournament’s top seed, taking back a 6–3 win in the second set.
“I knew it was going to be a big one,” Inchauspe said about his approach to the match. “Obviously, you see the seeding next to the guy, and you think, wow, this is going to be a huge one. But I tried to keep it ‘as usual,’ to keep the same routine and be as ready as possible.”
Despite the shift in momentum, Inchauspe seized back control of the match and took over the final set. After a backhand winner up the line to seal a 6–2, 3–6, 6–2 upset win, he burst into celebration with a roar and fist bump.
Inchauspe said after the match that the quantity of third sets he had played this fall prepared him for the moment.
“I think that really gave me the confidence,” Inchauspe said. “I focused on simple things, and just battled, and luckily it turned out on my side.”
Though on paper his win was a massive upset, Inchauspe has been the Tigers’ go-to singles player and has flirted with the ITA top 10 rankings for much of the end of last season and the beginning of this season.
“We have a very good team culture and everyone is very hard-working,” Inchauspe said. “Our practices are very intense, and everyone's very dedicated, which is honestly amazing, and it's such a bonus.”
Inchauspe had to withdraw from the NCAA singles championships last season due to injury, but now he has the opportunity to make the most of his second collegiate season. With the top seed vanquished, a hot streak set in motion, and on the road to the open section of the draw, Inchauspe has as good of a chance to see the final days of the tournament as any Tiger has ever had. The furthest a Tiger has made it was a semifinal appearance from Leif Shiras ’81 in 1980.
Princeton junior Fnu Nidunjianzan also joined Inchauspe in the round of 16 — an impressive run for the Nepal native in his own right — but with a 3–6, 3–6 loss to No. 2 seeded Michael Zhang from Columbia, Inchauspe is the last man standing for Princeton.
“It’s a testament to the level of the of the Ivy League,” Inchauspe told the ‘Prince.’ “It’s so much stronger than what it used to be and in recent years, so many good players have committed and are playing for Ivy teams.”
Inchauspe also advanced to the Sweet 16 in the doubles bracket alongside senior teammate Filippos Astreinidis. The pair will look to become the first Tigers to make it to the quarterfinals in an NCAA doubles bracket since Jay Lapidus ’81 and Shiras did so in 1978. The duo will look for an upset tomorrow in the Sweet 16 when they play No. 3 seeded duo Petar Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez from Mississippi State.
Meanwhile, in the singles bracket, Inchauspe will take on Corey Craig of Florida State tomorrow to keep his impressive run alive.
“It’s one match at a time,” Inchauspe said.
Hayk Yengibaryan is an associate Sports editor and News contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Tate Hutchins is an associate Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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