Wake Forest Athletics
Deacon Decade - Men's Tennis
12/14/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Dec. 14, 2009
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10. May 10, 2003 - First NCAA Tournament Victory
The 28th-ranked Demon Deacons earned their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory on May 10, 2003, taking a 4-3 first round win over No. 46 Brown at Duke University's Ambler Stadium. The Demon Deacons captured the doubles point and then split the six singles matches with the Bears to survive and avenge their 4-3 loss at Brown on Feb. 22. David Loewenthal led Wake Forest with wins at both singles and doubles. The Deacons first earned a berth to the tourney in 1998 and also earned slots in 2001 and 2002, but the win in 2003 served as a benchmark for the team's future success in postseason play.
9. April 26, 2002 - Derrick Spice Named ACC Rookie of the Year
At the end of the 2002 season Derrick Spice became the first player in Demon Deacon history to receive the ACC's Rookie of the Year honor. Spice led the Demon Deacons in singles wins during 2002 with a 36-12 record, which still stands as the most singles victories in one season. Playing mostly at the No. 3 position in singles, Spice accumulated a 7-1 mark against conference foes. Todd Paul would become the second Demon Deacon to take the Rookie of the Year honor in 2004.
8. April 16, 2005 - Deacons Defeat Blue Devils for the First Time in Two Decades
On April 16, 2005, 25th-ranked Wake Forest snapped its 31-match losing streak to fifth-ranked Duke with a 6-1 win in Durham. With the win, the Deacons improved to 15-5 overall and set a new school record for regular season conference victories, finishing 7-3 in the ACC.
7. March 26, 2002 - Deacons Complete 13-Match Win-Streak
With the team's 7-0 sweep over Brown on March 26, the Demon Deacons wrapped up a 13-match winning streak, the second longest undefeated stretch in program history and longest since the 1977 season. The streak included wins over 15th-ranked Minnesota as well as Georgia Tech and was the only time during the decade that Wake Forest topped Virginia in Charlottesville. The team finished 2002 ranked third in the ACC, the best finish in 20 years.
6. April 20, 2007 - Todd Paul Sets New Record in Career Singles Wins
Todd Paul's 6-4, 6-3 win over Clemson's 121st-ranked Clement Reix was the 107th of his career, setting a new program record. Paul finished his Demon Deacon career with 108 singles wins and became one of the most storied players in Wake Forest history. To date Paul has been the only player to earn All-ACC recognition every year of his career. In the Spring of 2007 Paul earned national recognition when he climbed to the highest ranking in the ITA men's singles poll.
5. April 11, 2009 - Cory Parr Earns 109th Career Win
Just two years after Todd Paul rewrote the Wake Forest record books, Cory Parr made his own mark on Demon Deacon history. Parr's 6-1, 6-3 victory over Virginia Tech's #56 Nicolas DeRobles was his 109th win and topped Paul's former career record. Parr finished his career with 114 singles wins and 110 career doubles victories, setting new records in both categories. Parr also holds the single season record for doubles victories, picking up his 30th win with partner Steven Forman during the 2009 NCAA Doubles Tournament. Parr was named ITA Regional Player of the Year and was ranked as high as 10th in the ITA poll.
4. May 26, 2007 - Adamski and Paul Upset NCAA Doubles No. 1 Seed
Mariusz Adamski and Todd Paul became the first Demon Deacons to win a match in the NCAA Doubles Tournament with their 6-4, 6-4 victory over Dimitar Kutrovsky and Josh Zavala of Texas. But the Deacon tandem didn't stop there - Paul and Adamski advanced to the Round of 8 with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Virginia Tech's Nicholas Delgado and Pedro Graber and then took down the top-ranked team in the nation in the quarterfinals. Georgia's John Isner and Luis Flores, the tournament's No. 1 seed, fell 7-5, 7-5 to Adamski and Paul on their home court in Athens, Ga.
3. November 9, 2008 - Cory Parr/Steve Forman Win National Title
Cory Parr and Steven Forman became the first Wake Forest men's tennis athletes to claim a national title, taking down Southern California's Robert Farah and Steven Johnson in the doubles finals of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's National Indoors Tournament. Wake Forest's top-seeded duo faced two tiebreakers against the USC team, but came out on top with a 7-6 (3), 7-6(5) match win to take the title. Parr and Forman finished the season with 30 doubles wins to set a new program record and advanced to the NCAA Doubles quarterfinals.
2. May 11, 2009 - Deacons Upend Wildcats in Lexington
With a 4-2 upset over 11th-ranked Kentucky in Lexington, the 18th-ranked Demon Deacons advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the second time in three years. Wake Forest dropped the opening doubles point, but rallied back through singles. Then-sophomore Iain Atkinson clinched the victory with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 marathon singles performance over Graeme Dyce. The match marked the end of the second most successful season of the decade. Wake Forest finished the year ranked second in the ACC, the highest conference finish since 1976, and earned 22 team victories.
1. May 12, 2007 - Eight Hour Clemson Match Leads to NCAA Sweet 16 Berth
Wake Forest earned its first ever berth in the NCAA Sweet 16 when the team defeated Clemson 4-3 in a battle that lasted more than eight hours. Wake Forest's Andrew Hamar and Clemson's Ryan Young were in the middle of playing out the deciding match at Court 3, with Young up a break at 4-2, when severe weather and heavy rain caused the match to be suspended at 5:42 p.m. Three hours and 55 minutes later, at 9:37 p.m., play finally resumed and Hamar caught fire. The native of Pontypool, South Wales quickly rallied and forced Young into a tiebreaker. On Hamar's first match point, at 7-6, he nailed the door shut by returning Young's diving volley. The thrilling victory was the team's 23 win of the season, marking the most successful year in program history.
Players Mentioned
