Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest University
Oklahoma
Deacons Dispatch Sooners in Indoors Opener
2/12/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeMTennis)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- The ninth-seeded Wake Forest men's tennis team knocked off No. 8 seed Oklahoma, 4-1, in its opening-round match at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships at the Boar's Head Sports Club in Charlottesville, Va. on Friday evening. The match was the Demon Deacons' first ever at the event.
With the win, the Deacons advanced to the quarterfinal round where they will meet top-ranked Virginia, the tournament host, on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The Deacs are now 8-1 on the season, including 7-1 against ranked opponents.
To begin the match, Skander Mansouri and Christian Seraphim started fast and never looked back for a 6-1 doubles win over No. 37-ranked Andrew Harris and Alex Ghilea. The Demon Deacons put the defending tournament champion Sooners in a 1-0 hole when Jon Ho and Petros Chrysochos downed No. 57 Spencer Papa and Axel Alvarez Llamas, 6-3, at No. 2.
Romain Bogaerts and Dennis Uspensky were leading their match, 5-4, when it was halted.
Seraphim continued his roll into singles as he raced out to a 5-0 lead in the first set en route to a 6-1, 6-4 victory to make it 2-0. Chrysochos put Wake Forest on the cusp of victory when he held off Papa for a 6-4, 6-3 win. Papa cut a 5-2 deficit to 5-4 in the first set, but Chrysochos staved off the rally and broke the Oklahoma sophomore early in the second set to win.
After the Sooners got on the board with a tight Ghilea win over Ho at No. 3, Bogaerts completed a three-set triumph over Florin Bragusi at No. 4. The Deacon senior won by a score of 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.
With the result no longer in doubt, Mansouri and Uspensky had their matches stopped at No. 1 and No. 5, respectively.
The victory was the Deacs' second of the season against the Sooners, a team they had not beaten in four all-time meetings entering the season. Wake Forest snapped Oklahoma's 38-match home winning streak that dated back to Match 12, 2013 with a 5-2 win on Jan. 31.
Saturday's match between the Deacons and Cavaliers will be a rematch of last year's ACC Tournament championship. Virginia won that match, 4-2. Wake Forest will look for its first win against UVA since 2003.
No. 10 Wake Forest 4, No. 5 Oklahoma 1
Singles competition
1. No. 60 Axel Alvarez Llamas (OU) vs. No. 28 Skander Mansouri (WF) 6-7, 6-5, unfinished
2. No. 125 Petros Chrysochos (WF) def. Spencer Papa (OU) 6-4, 6-3
3. No. 85 Alex Ghilea (OU) def. No. 79 Jon Ho (WF) 7-6, 6-4
4. Romain Bogaerts (WF) def. Florin Bragusi (OU) 6-1, 3-6, 6-3
5. Maxime Mora (OU) vs. Dennis Uspensky (WF) 7-5, 2-6, 4-4, unfinished
6. Christian Seraphim (WF) def. Andre Biro (OU) 6-1, 6-4
Order of Finish: 6,2,3,4
Doubles competition
1. Skander Mansouri/Christian Seraphim (WF) def. No. 37 Andrew Harris/Alex Ghilea (OU) 6-1
2. Jon Ho/Petros Chrysochos (WF) def. No. 57 Spencer Papa/Axel Alvarez Llamas (OU) 6-3
3. Austin Siegel/Andre Biro (OU) vs. Romain Bogaerts/Dennis Uspensky (WF) 4-5, unfinished
Order of Finish: 1,2
Players Mentioned
