Monday, February 18
Chicago, Ill.
1:00 PM (ET)
Wake Forest University
2
vs
4
Ohio State
Comeback Effort Falls Short in ITA Championship Match
2/18/2019 4:40:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Wake Forest dropped a 4-2 decision to Ohio State in the Championship match of the ITA National Team Indoor Championship
CHICAGO, Ill. – The No. 1 Wake Forest men's tennis team's bid for a second consecutive ITA National Team Indoor Championship came up just short on Monday, Feb. 18, as the Deacs fell to No. 2 Ohio State, 4-2.
In a rematch of last year's NCAA Championship, the third-seeded Demon Deacons (12-2) fell behind 3-0 to the top-seeded Buckeyes (13-0) before rallying late. Bar Botzer and Siddhant Banthia picked up back-to-back wins, making the score 3-2 before Ohio State eventually closed out the match.
For the second consecutive match, Wake Forest's doubles point was decided by a tiebreaker. After Botzer and Petros Chrysochos dropped a 6-1 decision at the No. 2 doubles spot, Borna Gojo and Alan Gadjiev responded with a 6-3 victory in the top doubles spot.
With the double point on the line, Banthia and Julian Zlobinsky were forced to a tiebreaker in the No. 3 spot. The Buckeyes took the breaker, 7-3, and a 1-0 lead into singles.
Ohio State pushed the advantage to 3-0 with wins at the No. 1 and No. 5 spots before the Demon Deacons began the comeback attempt. First it was Botzer at No. 3 singles, as he defeated Kyle Seelig, 6-2, 6-3.
Banthia was forced to a third set at No. 6 singles and after being broken to open the set, the freshman responded with a 6-3 victory, pulling the Deacs within one.
All eyes turned to the No. 2 and 4 spots where fellow countrymen Chrysochos and Efstathiou were in the middle of battles. Chrysochos, after dropping the opening set, 6-4, the senior responded with 7-4 tiebreaker victory in the second set, sending the match to a decisive third.
Efstathiou was looking to force a third set after dropping the opening set, 7-5. The freshman was tied 5-all in the second set when he was broken, allowing Ohio State to serve it out for the match.
Wake Forest is back in action on Thursday, February 28, playing host to Virginia Tech in the Deacs' ACC opener. First serve is set for 3:30 p.m. at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex.
In a rematch of last year's NCAA Championship, the third-seeded Demon Deacons (12-2) fell behind 3-0 to the top-seeded Buckeyes (13-0) before rallying late. Bar Botzer and Siddhant Banthia picked up back-to-back wins, making the score 3-2 before Ohio State eventually closed out the match.
For the second consecutive match, Wake Forest's doubles point was decided by a tiebreaker. After Botzer and Petros Chrysochos dropped a 6-1 decision at the No. 2 doubles spot, Borna Gojo and Alan Gadjiev responded with a 6-3 victory in the top doubles spot.
With the double point on the line, Banthia and Julian Zlobinsky were forced to a tiebreaker in the No. 3 spot. The Buckeyes took the breaker, 7-3, and a 1-0 lead into singles.
Ohio State pushed the advantage to 3-0 with wins at the No. 1 and No. 5 spots before the Demon Deacons began the comeback attempt. First it was Botzer at No. 3 singles, as he defeated Kyle Seelig, 6-2, 6-3.
Banthia was forced to a third set at No. 6 singles and after being broken to open the set, the freshman responded with a 6-3 victory, pulling the Deacs within one.
All eyes turned to the No. 2 and 4 spots where fellow countrymen Chrysochos and Efstathiou were in the middle of battles. Chrysochos, after dropping the opening set, 6-4, the senior responded with 7-4 tiebreaker victory in the second set, sending the match to a decisive third.
Efstathiou was looking to force a third set after dropping the opening set, 7-5. The freshman was tied 5-all in the second set when he was broken, allowing Ohio State to serve it out for the match.
Wake Forest is back in action on Thursday, February 28, playing host to Virginia Tech in the Deacs' ACC opener. First serve is set for 3:30 p.m. at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,1,3
#1 Singles Match
12
03
JJ Wolf / 0 (2/-) [OSU]
66
#2 Singles Match
123
470
John McNally / 0 (62/-) [OSU]
66UF
#3 Singles Match
12
66
Kyle Seelig / 0 (12/-) [OSU]
23
#4 Singles Match
12
55
Martin Joyce / 0 [OSU]
77
#5 Singles Match
12
33
Alex Kobelt / 0 (86/-) [OSU]
66
#6 Singles Match
123
626
Hunter Tubert / 0 [OSU]
263
Order of Finish:
1,5,3,6,4
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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