Wake Forest University
#11 Clemson (ACC Quarterfinals)
Demon Deacons Dominate Clemson En Route to ACC Semis Berth
4/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
By Andrew Wilson, Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeMTennis)
CARY, N.C. - Behind big wins at Nos. 1 and 2 singles from Noah Rubin and Romain Bogaerts, 11th-ranked Wake Forest men's tennis topped No. 75 Clemson on Friday morning at the Cary Tennis Park in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship to advance to Saturday's semifinals.
The Deacs, the No. 3 seed in the tournament, improved to 21-6 on the season while 11th-seeded Clemson finished with a record of 12-15. The Tigers knocked off sixth-seeded Louisville on Thursday to make it to Friday's matchup with Wake Forest. As one of the top three seeds in the tournament, the Demon Deacons earned a bye into Friday's quarterfinals.
Wake Forest moves on to face 10th-seeded Georgia Tech on Saturday. First serve is schedule for 10 a.m. at Cary Tennis Park. The Yellow Jackets upset second-seeded Virginia Tech on Friday in the semifinals after knocking off seventh-seeded Notre Dame in the first round of the tournament Thursday. After winning the doubles point against the Hokies, Georgia Tech went up 3-1 before Virginia Tech fought back to make it 3-3. With the match coming down to No. 2 singles, Carlos Benito fought back after going down 4-2 in the third set and ultimately came away with the win for the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech closed the regular season with a 4-3 win over Duke to help Wake Forest clinch the No. 3 seed in the ACC Championship.
After the Demon Deacons won the doubles point, Rubin and Bogaerts each cruised to victories on Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, to set the tone for Wake Forest. Bogaerts, the 15th-ranked player in the nation, was the first Deac off the court with an impressive 6-0, 6-0 win over Alejandro Augusto. Shortly after, Rubin, the 13th-ranked player in the country, polished off a 6-2, 6-2 win over Hunter Harrington to put the Demon Deacons up 3-0. Rubin was down 2-1 in the first set before rattling off eight games in a row to take the first set and jump out to a 3-0 lead in the second.
Christian Seraphim clinched Wake Forest's trip to the semifinals with a 6-2, 6-3 victory at No. 5 over Austin Ansari. Leading 4-3 in the second set, Seraphim broke Ansari to go up 5-3 and held serve to clinch the win for the Demon Deacons.
Wake Forest found its rhythm in the match early in doubles, as both Nos. 2 and 3 jumped out to sizable leads out of the gate. At No. 2 doubles, Rubin and Jon Ho earned an 8-3 victory to get the Deacs halfway to the doubles point. The pair was shortly followed by Seraphim and Skander Mansouri, the 11th-ranked duo in the nation, who pulled out an 8-5 win at No. 1 doubles. The Wake Forest duo battled back and forth against Harrington and Luke Johnson with each side holding serve until Mansouri and Seraphim broke the Clemson pair to make it 7-5. The Deacs' duo then held serve to clinch the point for the Deacs.
At No. 3 doubles, Bogaerts and Keivon Tabrizi jumped out to a 5-1 lead but the Clemson pairing of Ansari and Augusto fought back to make it 5-4. The match eventually went unfinished with Wake Forest clinching the point with Bogaerts and Tabrizi up 7-4.
Wake Forest 4, Clemson 0
Singles competition
1. Noah Rubin (WF) def. Hunter Harrington (CU) 6-2, 6-2
2. Romain Bogaerts (WF) def. Alejandro Augusto (CU) 6-0, 6-0
3. Skander Mansouri (WF) vs. Daffra Sanon (CU) 6-4, 3-4, unfinished
4. Jon Ho (WF) vs. Luke Johnson (CU) 6-7 (5-7), 2-2, unfinished
5. Christian Seraphim (WF) def. Austin Ansari (CU) 6-2, 6-3
6. Maksim Kan (WF) vs. Hampton Drake (CU) 4-6, 2-2, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Skander Mansouri/Christian Seraphim (WF) def. Hunter Harrington/Luke Johnson (CU) 8-5
2. Jon Ho/Noah Rubin (WF) def. Hampton Drake/Robert Dudley (CU) 8-3
3. Keivon Tabrizi/Romain Bogaerts (WF) vs. Austin Ansari/Alejandro Augusto (CU) 7-4, unfinished
Match Notes:
Wake Forest: 21-6, National ranking: #11
Clemson: 12-15, National ranking: #75
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (2,1,5)
ACC Men's Tennis Championship Quarterfinals
| ACC Semifinals Information | |
| vs. Georgia Tech | Saturday, April 25, at 10 a.m. |
| Location | Cary, N.C. - Weather | Facility Info |
| Coverage | Live Results | Twitter Updates  |
| Tournament Info | Tournament Central | Tournament Bracket |
Players Mentioned
