Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest University
Virginia Tech
Deacs Edge No. 45 Hokies, 4-3
4/1/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeMTennis)
BLACKSBURG, Va. – Skander Mansouri's win at No. 1 singles sealed a hard-fought 4-3 victory for the No. 6 Wake Forest men's tennis team over No. 45 Virginia Tech at the Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center at Blacksburg, Va. on Friday.
The Hokies won the first set on five of six singles courts, but comeback wins by Mansouri and by Christian Seraphim at No. 6 helped vault the Demon Deacons to their 10th-consecutive victory. Their current winning streak is their longest since 2002.
The triumph gave the Deacs a 23-4 record on the year and a 7-1 mark in the ACC. The 23 wins tie the second-highest total in program history. Wake Forest is now 14-4 against ranked opponents.
The No. 2 and No. 3 doubles pairings for the Deacons helped lift them to a 1-0 lead. The No. 48-ranked pairing of Jon Ho and Petros Chrysochos opened the contest with a 6-2 doubles win at the second spot. Romain Bogaerts and Dennis Uspensky then secured the doubles competition with a 6-2 win of their own at the third position.
Chrysochos was the lone Demon Deacon to win his opening set in singles, edging No. 74 Andreas Bjerrehus, 6-4. He then made the score 2-0 by cruising to a 6-1 win in his second set. Chrysochos added to his impressive rookie resume, improving to 16-2 with an unblemished 13-0 ledger at No. 2. He is also 6-0 against ranked foes.
After Virginia Tech closed the gap to 2-1 with a win at No. 3, Seraphim recovered from a 6-1 first-set loss to win his match, 1-6, 6-4, 6-1. Seraphim dropped a set for the first time since Feb. 28, but won his 10th decision in a row to make it 3-1. He also became the 16th player in program history to register 30 wins in a single season.
With a three-set win at No. 5, the Hokies again cut into Wake Forest's lead, but reigning ACC Player of the Week Mansouri came through in the top flight to lock down the victory. The Tunis, Tunisia native bounced back from a 6-3 first-set loss to dispatch No. 21-ranked Joao Monteiro, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.
Mansouri is now 15-2 on the spring, including a 10-2 record at No. 1 and an 8-1 mark against ranked individuals.
To cap the dual match, No. 72 Edoardo Tessaro made it a 4-3 final, getting a three-set win for Virginia Tech at No. 4.
The Demon Deacons wrap up a four-match road swing on Sunday with a 1 p.m. meeting with top-ranked North Carolina at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. The Deacs conclude their 2016 regular-season home schedule next Saturday versus Duke.
No. 6 Wake Forest 4, No. 45 Virginia Tech 3
Singles competition
1. No. 16 Skander Mansouri (WF) def. No. 21 Joao Monteiro (VT) 3-6, 7-5, 6-3
2. No. 36 Petros Chrysochos (WF) def. No. 74 Andreas Bjerrehus (VT) 6-4, 6-1
3. Amerigo Contini (VT) def. Jon Ho (WF) 6-4, 6-1
4. No. 72 Edoardo Tessaro (VT) def. Romain Bogaerts (WF) 7-5, 3-6, 6-3
5. Mitch Harper (VT) def. Dennis Uspensky (WF) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
6. Christian Seraphim (WF) def. Jai Corbett (VT) 1-6, 6-4, 6-1
Order of Finish: 2,3,6,5,1,4
Doubles competition
1. No. 7 Andreas Bjerrehus/Joao Monteiro (VT) vs. No. 12 Skander Mansouri/Christian Seraphim (WF) 5-3, unfinished
2. No. 48 Jon Ho/Petros Chrysochos (WF) def. Amerigo Contini/Edoardo Tessaro (VT) 6-2
3. Dennis Uspensky/Romain Bogaerts (WF) def. Mitch Harper/Jai Corbett (VT) 6-2
Order of Finish: 2,3
Players Mentioned
