Deacs' Bid to Repeat as NCAA Champions Falls Short Against Texas

ORLANDO, Fla. - Wake Forest's bid to repeat as NCAA men's tennis champion fell short on Sunday with a 4-1 loss to Texas. The loss ended a 19-match winning streak for the Demon Deacons who had not lost since a 5-2 defeat at Florida on March 13.

Wake Forest (34-4) won the doubles point as Alan Gadjiev and Borna Gojo upset the fifth-ranked duo of Harrison Scott and Christian Sigsgaard, 6-4, in the decisive match at No. 1 doubles. Prior to that match's conclusion, Wake Forest's Bar Botzer and Petros Chrysochos defeated Colin Markes and Leonardo Telles, 6-3 at No. 2 while Texas' (29-3) Chih Chi Huang and Yuya Ito defeated Julian Zlobinsky and Siddhant Banthia, 6-2 at No. 3.

Texas tied the match at 1 when Sigsgaard defeated Gojo 6-3, 6-4 at No. 1 singles. The Longhorns extended their lead to 2-1 when Rodrigo Banzer defeated Banthia 7-5, 6-4 at No. 6. Texas went up 3-1 with a victory at No. 5 as Markes defeated Melios Efstathiou 6-4, 7-5.

The Longhorns clinched the title when Yuya Ito defeated Petros Chrysochos at No. 2 singles. Ito dropped the first set 6-3 but rebounded to win the next two 6-3, 6-4.

Texas won the first set in four of the six singles matches with only Chrysochos and Rrezart Cungu posting first set wins for the Deacons.

Wake Forest completed a remarkable season that included posting a school-record 34 wins while compiling a 34-4 record. The Demon Deacons won the ACC Championship for the third time in four seasons while also reaching the finals of the ITA National Team Indoor Championship.

NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championship
#2 Texas 4, #3 Wake Forest 1
Doubles Results
1. #63 Gadjiev/Gojo (WF) def. #5 Scott/Sigsgaard (UT) 6-4
2. #55 Botzer/Chrysochos (WF) def. Markes/Telles (UT) 6-3
3. Huang/Ito (UT) def. Banthia/Zlobinsky (WF) 6-2
Order of Finish: 2,3,1

Singles Results
1. #7 Christian Sigsgaard (UT) def. #11 Borna Gojo (WF), 6-3, 6-4
2. #12 Yuya Ito (UT) def. #8 Petros Chrysochos (WF) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
3. #80 Bar Botzer (WF) vs. #50 Leonardo Telles (UT), 3-6, 7-6(8), 0-1, unfinished
4. Rrezart Cungu (WF) vs. #55 Harrison Scott (UT), 6-2, 6-7(6), 0-5, unfinished
5. Colin Markes (UT) def. Melios Efstathiou (WF), 6-4, 7-5
6. Rodrigo Banzer (UT) def. Siddhant Banthia (WF), 7-5, 6-4
Order of Finish: 1,6,5,2

Deacs' Bid to Repeat as NCAA Champions Falls Short Against Texas

Team Stats

Players Mentioned

Siddhant Banthia

Bar Botzer

Petros Chrysochos

Rrezart Cungu

Melios Efstathiou

Alan Gadjiev

Borna Gojo

Julian Zlobinsky

Wake Forest Athletics