The UBC Men’s Tennis Sport Club is heading back to Montreal, and this time, they’re going with something to prove. After claiming national titles in 2022 and 2024, the T-Birds fell one step short last summer, finishing as runners-up at the Canadian University Tennis Championships. Now armed with a dominant 31–1 record and a renewed sense of purpose, they return to IGA Stadium ready to reclaim the title.
The road to Montreal was anything but straightforward. After sweeping both SFU and UVic at regionals, UBC faced a fired-up Calgary Dinos side making their first Western Canadian Championship appearance in over a decade. The match went down to the wire, with Year 2 player Simon Kurono and Kiran Phaterpekar saving match points in the doubles to clinch the critical point, before the team sealed the win on Court 1 in three sets. It was a fitting end to a season that also saw first-year Scotty Su, named TSC Rookie of the Year, become the first rookie in program history to play and win the #1 singles match at the Canada West Championships, clinching UBC’s berth to nationals in the highest-pressure moment of the year.
Heading into Montreal, Year 3 player Daniel Kim says the team is more ready than ever. “The team has been working harder than ever and we can’t wait for this year’s National Championships. We are more prepared than last year and are putting in a lot of work to not experience the same thing again. Our expectation is to hopefully become nationals champs for the third time in five years.”
The T-Birds open on Friday, May 29 at 12:00 p.m. local time with a semifinal against Université Laval, a familiar opponent that UBC defeated in the 2024 national final. The championship final and bronze-medal tie are set for Sunday, May 31.
For Year 2 player Simon Kurono, last summer’s silver holds lessons that go deeper than the scoreline. “Competing without our full lineup in an away environment was one of our toughest challenges. With all matches running simultaneously, it’s difficult to have teammates supporting players on every court — revealing just how mentally demanding university tennis is. We learned that winning at this level requires more than athletic skill; it requires resilience, staying positive under pressure, and competing as a team even when we are on separate courts.”
That mindset, forged through the sting of last summer, is what UBC is bringing back to Montreal.
Catch the action on the tournament livestream and follow UBC Men’s Tennis on Instagram for updates from Montreal.
Go Thunderbirds!