Aidan Kim and Bryce Nakashima (top) and Brandon Carpico and Nikita Filin (bottom) at ITA All-Americans on Sept. 27, 2026. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics.

Ohio State was guaranteed to win the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Men’s All-American double title.?

The only question was which Buckeye pairing would do it.?

Ohio State’s Brandon Carpico and Nikita Filin faced teammates Bryce Nakashima and Aidan Kim in the championship match, creating an unusual final between players who represented the same school.?

“It was definitely a little weird,” Carpico said. “It’s never really enjoyable when you’re playing your teammates.”?

Carpico and Filin beat Nakashima and Kim after one set 6-2 on Sept. 27. The winning pair won five matches and did not lose a single set. Nakashima and Kim won four matches before losing to Carpico and Filin.?

The runner-up pair retired after one set due to Kim getting a leg injury, the result of a heavy play schedule.?

The tournament is one highlighted on the schedule, where players can earn All-American honors and bids into the NCAA Championships, giving the matchup between the teammates more weight.?

“It was definitely a little odd seeing them on the other side of the net, but we just tried to go about it like they were just another team instead of two of our teammates,” Carpico said.?

As a result of playing together so often, the Ohio State pairings knew the other players’ strengths and weaknesses, implementing that into their game plan.?

“It’s like a double-edged sword,” Carpico said. “You know their game, but they know you.”

Nakashima noted the specifics of how play style may change.?

“We know which guy might be weaker or stronger at the net or better or worse from the baseline, so then we want to get into rallies or exchanges where we’re exposing that person kind of,” Nakashima said.?

Nakashima said it isn’t that uncommon for players to face teammates in matches.

“It’s competitive but it’s nothing but respect after or before the match,” he said.?

Another aspect of playing against teammates is the similarity to practice.?

“You see them everyday, you see them at practice everyday, so to not think about it like that it’s a little hard.” Carpico said.?

Regardless of the outcome of the men’s doubles final match at the All-American Championships, an Ohio State pairing would have claimed the title, demonstrating Ohio State’s success at the tournament.?

Ohio State also found success elsewhere, as Filin and Kim qualified for the NCAA Championships in singles.?

These doubles and singles placements officially qualified these Buckeyes for the NCAA Championships in the first tournament of the season.?