Wake Forest University
Tennessee
Doubles Rally Sparks Deacs' Sweep of Volunteers
1/25/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Final Stats | ITA Kick-Off Weekend Central
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeMTennis)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The No. 11 Wake Forest men's tennis team climbed out of an early hole in doubles and won three singles matches to defeat 43rd-ranked Tennessee, 4-0, at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex on Monday afternoon.
With the victory, the Demon Deacons won their ITA Kick-Off Weekend region and qualified for the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Charlottesville, Va. Feb. 12-15. They improved to 4-0 on the season and handed the Volunteers their first loss in six spring matches.
Tennessee came out strong to start the contest, as Jack Heslin and Preston Touliatos defeated Wake Forest's Romain Bogaerts and Dennis Uspensky, 6-4, at No. 2 doubles.
Needing to win the remaining two doubles matches to avoid dropping the match's first point, the Deacs stormed back at Nos. 1 and 3.
At the top spot, the No. 25-ranked duo of Christian Seraphim and Skander Mansouri erased a 5-2 deficit to force a tiebreaker with 23rd-ranked Luis Valero and Jack Schipanski. Seraphim and Mansouri swept the breaker, 7-0, to even the doubles competition.
The Deacons' Petros Chrysochos and Jon Ho fell behind by scores of 5-3 and 6-5 in their match at No. 3, but evened the score both times before winning, 7-4, in a tiebreaker to give the Deacs an overall lead of 1-0 and all the momentum they would need to close out the team win.
In singles, Seraphim wasted little time doubling Wake Forest's lead, dispatching Heslin by a final score of 6-1, 6-1. Soon after, Uspensky completed a 6-1, 6-0 triumph at No. 6 to put the Deacons on the brink of a berth at the National Indoors.
Chrysochos clinched the win at the top singles position by blanking Valero in the second set to cap a 6-2, 6-0 victory.
Mansouri, Ho and Bogaerts were up by a set and were leading in the second set of their matches at position Nos. 2, 3 and 4, respectively, when the dual match ended.
The Deacs' had not won at No. 1 singles or No. 1 doubles in 2016 entering Monday, but won at both spots against the Volunteers.
Wake Forest will now set out on its first road trip of the season, traveling to No. 28 Oklahoma State on Friday and second-ranked Oklahoma on Sunday. The Demon Deacons return home on Feb. 5 to take on South Carolina.
No. 11 Wake Forest 4, No. 43 Tennessee 0
Singles competition
1. Petros Chrysochos (WF) def. Luis Valero (TENN) 6-2, 6-0
2. No. 26 Skander Mansouri (WF) vs. Timo Stodder (TENN) 6-3, 4-1, unfinished
3. No. 103 Jon Ho (WF) vs. Jack Schipanski (TENN) 6-3, 2-0, unfinished
4. Romain Bogaerts (WF) vs. Preston Touliatos (TENN) 6-4, 2-1, unfinished
5. Dennis Uspensky (WF) def. Srdjan Jakovljevic (TENN) 6-1, 6-0
6. Christian Seraphim (WF) def. Jack Heslin (TENN) 6-1, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. No. 25 Christian Seraphim/Skander Mansouri (WF) def. No. 23 Luis Valero/Jack Schipanski (TENN) 7-6 (0)
2. Jack Heslin/Preston Touliatos (TENN) def. Romain Bogaerts/Dennis Uspensky (WF) 6-4
3. Petros Chrysochos/Jon Ho (WF) def. Timo Stodder/Marshall Sullivan (TENN) 7-6 (4)
Match Notes
Tennessee 5-1, 0-0 SEC
Wake Forest 4-0, 0-0 ACC
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (6,5,1)
ITA Kick-Off Weekend Final
Length of Match: 2:15; Attendance: 169
Players Mentioned
