Wake Forest Athletics
Deacs Ranked No. 1 to Open Spring Season
1/4/2018 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeMTennis)
TEMPE, Ariz. – The Wake Forest men's tennis season will begin the 2018 spring season ranked first in the country, as the Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced its first team rankings of the season. The No. 1 ranking to open the season is the first in program history.
The Deacs began the 2017 season ranked second nationally, which was the highest-ever ranking for the program at the time. Wake Forest then rose to No. 1 in the country during the season en route to the ACC regular season title, the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Championships an appearance in the NCAA quarterfinals, all program firsts.
The No. 1 ranking comes on the heels of a successful fall campaign which saw Petros Chrysochos and Skander Mansouri make deep runs at the ITA All-American Championships, falling in the quarterfinals and Round of 16, respectively. The duo continued their run at the ITA national Fall Championships, as Chrysochos advanced to the finals of the singles draw and paired up with Mansouri to win the doubles tournament.
In the final individual rankings of the fall season, Wake Forest had five players ranked nationally in singles, including Chrysochos (No. 4), Mansouri (No. 15), Christian Seraphim (No. 62), Yuval Solomon (No. 83) and Bar Botzer (No. 88).
In doubles, Chrysochos and Mansouri ended the fall season No. 4 nationally and return the doubles team of Mansouri and Seraphim, who advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Doubles Championship last season.
Wake Forest also welcomed a trio of talented individuals to the team after the fall season in transfers Ian Dempster (NC State) and Eduardo Nava (TCU) as well as freshman Rrezart Cungu.
The collegiate portion of the Deacs' spring schedule begins on Tuesday, Jan. 23, as Wake Forest welcomes Coastal Carolina and Elon to town for a doubleheader. The season is highlighted by Wake Forest serving as the host for the NCAA Championships, which begin in May.
Players Mentioned
