Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest University
Virginia
Deacons Drop Top-10 Showdown at No. 1 Virginia
4/15/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeMTennis)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 7 Wake Forest men's tennis team had its 12-match win streak snapped with a 5-2 loss to top-ranked Virginia at the Snyder Tennis Center in Charlottesville, Va. on Friday. The Cavaliers clinched the top seed in the ACC Tournament and at least a share of the conference regular-season title with the win.
Five of the six singles matches went to three sets, but Virginia earned the first five team points of the day to clinch the match. The Demon Deacons' record dipped to 25-5 overall and 9-2 in league action with the loss.
Romain Bogaerts and Dennis Uspensky gave the Deacons a solid start to the afternoon with a 6-2 victory in the doubles slot. The Cavaliers answered shortly after, however, with a 6-3 win by No. 10 Thai-Son Kwiatkowski and Mac Styslinger over No. 76 Petros Chrysochos and Jon Ho.
The match's first point came down to the top position, where third-ranked Ryan Shane and Luca Corinteli and No. 14 Skander Mansouri and Christian Seraphim stayed on serve until the teams went to a tiebreaker at six-all. Mansouri and Seraphim recovered from a 5-1 deficit to take a 7-6 lead, but Shane and Corinteli won the next three points to take the victory.
The hosts started fast in singles with first-set triumphs at the top four positions. The No. 9-ranked Shane made it 2-0 with a 6-1, 6-2 defeat of No. 14 Mansouri at No. 1 and No. 118 J.C. Aragone withstood a comeback effort from the No. 122-ranked Bogaerts for a three-set win at No. 4 to bring Virginia a point away from sealing the dual match.
After suffering a 7-5 loss in his opening frame at No. 5, Henrik Wiersholm halted Seraphim's 12-match win streak at No. 5 with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 win to secure the result for the Cavaliers. Sixth-ranked Thai-Son Kwiatkowski staved off a Ho comeback bid at No. 3 to make it a 5-0 margin.
To get the Deacs on the scoreboard, Chrysochos took down No. 39 Collin Altamirano at No. 2. Altamirano won the first set and was up 4-0 in a second-set tiebreaker, but Chrysochos would not relent in a 1-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 victory.
Uspensky's match at No. 6 singles was the last to finish. He seized a tightly contested 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 decision against Corinteli.
Chrysochos' win was his 11th in a row. He is now 19-2 on the spring, including 16-0 at No. 2, 9-0 against ACC foes and 8-0 against ranked opponents. Uspensky leads the Demon Deacons with 22 singles victories in the dual-match season.
Wake Forest will end its regular season on Sunday with a noon tilt at Louisville. The ACC Tournament will be played next Wednesday through Sunday.
No. 1 Virginia 5, No. 7 Wake Forest 2
Singles competition
1. No. 9 Ryan Shane (VA) def. No. 14 Skander Mansouri (WF) 6-1, 6-2
2. No. 21 Petros Chrysochos (WF) def. No. 39 Collin Altamirano (VA) 1-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4
3. No. 6 Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (VA) def. Jon Ho (WF) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
4. No. 118 J.C. Aragone (VA) def. No. 122 Romain Bogaerts (WF) 6-0, 3-6, 6-1
5. Henrik Wiersholm (VA) def. Christian Seraphim (WF) 5-7, 6-3, 6-1
6. Dennis Uspensky (WF) def. Luca Corinteli (VA) 7-5, 4-6, 6-4
Order of Finish: 1,4,5,3,2,6
Doubles competition
1. No. 3 Ryan Shane/Luca Corinteli (VA) def. No. 14 Skander Mansouri/Christian Seraphim (WF) 7-6 (7)
2. No. 10 Thai-Son Kwiatkowski/Mac Styslinger (VA) def. No. 76 Petros Chrysochos/Jon Ho (WF) 6-3
3. Romain Bogaerts/Dennis Uspensky (WF) def. J.C. Aragone/Collin Altamirano (VA) 6-2
Order of Finish: 3,2,1
