Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest University
USC
Deacons Take Down No. 6 USC, 4-0
2/14/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeMTennis)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The 10th-ranked Wake Forest men's tennis team took down No. 6 Southern California in consolation play at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships at the Boar's Head Sports Club in Charlottesville, Va. on Sunday afternoon.
The victory moved the Demon Deacons to 9-2 on the season with eight wins against nationally-ranked opponents and three victories over top-10 foes. The Deacons finished 2-1 in their first-ever appearance at the ITA Indoors with wins over both of the schools that appeared in the tournament's championship match a year ago.
For the sixth-consecutive match, the Deacs won the doubles point. Romain Bogaerts and Dennis Uspensky gave Wake Forest the early edge with a 6-2 win at No. 3. The Trojans responded by prevailing at No. 2 by a score of 6-4, but the Demon Deacons sealed the point moments later when Christian Seraphim and Skander Mansouri pulled out a 6-3 triumph at the top position.
With Seraphim and Mansouri in front, 3-2, three service breaks in a row led to a 5-3 Deacon lead. Seraphim used back-to-back aces to lock up the win.
The Deacs' momentum carried over into singles as they started by winning the first set in four of the six matches. Bogaerts finished his match first at No. 4. He shutout 43rd-ranked Logan Smith, 6-0, in the first set and closed the second frame with a 7-2 tiebreaker win.
To make it 3-0, Petros Chrysochos bounced back strong from a 6-3 loss in his first set by cruising to a 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory. Chrysochos is now 8-1 in singles in Old Gold and Black and has won seven matches in a row. After a 1-7 fall season, Bogaerts is now 10-8 overall after starting dual-match play 9-1. The Huppaye, Belgium native has won his last six contests.
Mansouri earned his third win over a top-70 singles opponent this spring to secure the match for Wake Forest. After fending off three set points in a 12-10 tiebreaker win over No. 33 Nick Crystal in the first stanza, Mansouri broke Crystal in the 10th game of the second set to win, 7-6 (10), 6-4.
Nos. 3, 5 and 6 singles did not finish. When the dual match ended, Jon Ho was up a set at No. 3 and Seraphim led, 4-2, in his third set at No. 6. Uspensky dropped his first set, but was up, 5-4, in his second set.
The Demon Deacons resume action on Feb. 27 when they host 26th-ranked Texas to kick off an 11-match homestand. No. 14 Texas Tech is slated to visit Winston-Salem the following day.
No. 10 Wake Forest 4, No. 6 USC 0
Singles competition
1. No. 28 Skander Mansouri (WF) def. No. 33 Nick Crystal (USC) 7-6 (10), 6-4
2. No. 125 Petros Chrysochos (WF) def. Max de Vroome (USC) 3-6, 6-1, 6-2
3. No. 104 Jake DeVine (USC) vs. No. 79 Jon Ho (WF) 5-7, 5-4, unfinished
4. Romain Bogaerts (WF) def. No. 43 Logan Smith (USC) 6-0, 7-6 (2)
5. Thibault Forget (USC) vs. Dennis Uspensky (WF) 6-4, 4-5, unfinished
6. Jack Jaede (USC) vs. Christian Seraphim (WF) 2-6, 6-2, 2-4, unfinished
Order of Finish: 4,2,1
Doubles competition
1. Skander Mansouri/Christian Seraphim (WF) def. Nick Crystal/Laurens Verboven (USC) 6-3
2. Max de Vroome/Jack Jaede (USC) def. Jon Ho/Petros Chrysochos (WF) 6-4
3. Romain Bogaerts/Dennis Uspensky (WF) def. Rob Bellamy/Jake DeVine (USC) 6-2
Order of Finish: 3,2,1
Players Mentioned
