Wake Forest University
Ohio State
No. 6 Wake Drops Heartbreaker to No. 2 Ohio State
2/15/2020 11:47:00 PM | Men's Tennis
MADISON, WISC. - No. 6 Wake Forest fell to second-ranked and top-seeded Ohio State 4-3 in the quarterfinals of the ITA Indoor Championship. The match came down to the final court, but the Buckeyes pulled off the narrow victory, handing the Deacons just their second loss of the season.
The Deacs (8-2) dropped another tough fought doubles battle as Ohio State clinched with wins on courts three and one. Henri Squire and Eduardo Nava tied the match at 4-4 on the first court, but top-ranked duo of John McNally and Robert Cash came out on top 6-4.
In singles action, freshman Taha Baadi quickly tied the match at 1-1 putting Wake's first point on the board after downing Justin Boulais 6-2, 6-3 in the third spot.
After clinching the opening round match last night, 44th-ranked Bar Botzer put the Demon Deacons on top with a 6-4, 6-3 victory on the first court over No. 19 John McNally.
Squire dropped his opening set 6-3, but bounced back to take the second set in a tiebreak 7-6(1), forcing a third set on the second court. 22nd-ranked Cannon Kingsley came out on top 7-5 as Ohio State evened the match at 2-2.
No. 100 Siddhant Banthia gave the momentum back to the Deacs, topping Robert Cash in the sixth spot. Banthia dropped his first set in a tiebreak, but rallied back to take the second set 6-0 and the third frame 6-3, handing Wake Forest the 3-2 advantage.
The Demon Deacons' lead did not last long as No. 31 Kyle Seeling defeated Melios Efstathiou in three sets, putting the fate of the match in the hands of Nava and Trotter in the fifth spot. Nava dropped the first frame in a tiebreak, but claimed a second set victory 6-4. The final set was a back-and-forth affair, but ultimately fell in favor of the Buckeyes after a gritty effort from Nava.
Wake will face fifth-seeded Florida in the backdraw on Sunday at 4:30.
FULL RESULTS
Singles
1. #44 Bar Botzer (WAKE) def. #19 John McNally (OSU) 6-4, 6-3
2. #22 Cannon Kingsley (OSU) def. Henri Squire (WAKE) 6-3, 6-7 (1-7), 7-5
3. Taha Baadi (WAKE) def. Justin Boulais (OSU) 6-2, 6-3
4. #31 Kyle Seeling (OSU) def. Melios Efstathiou (WAKE) 6-4, 5-7, 6-1
5. #70 James Trotter (OSU) def. Eduardo Nava (WAKE) 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 7-5
6. #100 Siddhant Banthia (WAKE) def. Robert Cash (OSU) 6-7 (4-7), 6-0, 6-3
Doubles
1. #1 John McNally/Robert Cash (OSU) def. Henri Squire/Eduardo Nava (WAKE) 7-5
2. James Trotter/Justin Boulais (OSU) vs. Taha Baadi/Melios Efstathiou (WAKE) 6-6, unfinished
3. Kyle Seeling/Cannon Kingsley (OSU) def. Morgan Dill/Bar Botzer (WAKE) 6-3
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,1
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
3,1,2,6,4,5
Players Mentioned
