Wake Forest Ends Season in NCAA Second Round

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The No. 9 Wake Forest men's tennis team ends their tournament run with a tough defeat to No. 35 Ohio State, 4-1, in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon at the Wake Forest Tennis Center.

This was the Demon Deacons first loss in the Round of 32 since 2014 when the Buckeyes defeated the Deacs, 4-0, in Columbus, Ohio.

The doubles point was a hard-fought battle, but Ohio State took wins on courts two and three as No. 12 Eduardo Nava and Henri Squire were left unfinished on court one.

In singles, Ohio State garnered a 3-0 lead with wins on courts three and six.

No. 13-ranked Henri Squire gave the Demon Deacons their solo point, delivering a straight set win on court one (6-4, 7-5), earning his 17th win of the season.

Following Squire, Wake Forest saved numerous match points but eventually the Buckeyes clinched and advanced to Orlando.

QUOTABLE:
"Tough day today. Congrats to Ohio State. They have a really good team and they just outplayed us. We had some chances there towards the end if Melios (Efstathiou) was able to pull out that second set that would give us three third setters and I like our chances for our guys. But as all good teams do, they close the door and it just didn't go our way."

"I thought it was a very good year with all that was going on with COVID. Dealing with the unique aspects that we have. If you think about it, we started January with four freshmen and two returners. We have a very young team and we have the ability to return our whole entire roster. It was tough not to have experience like this. This and the ACCs will hurt. But we'll use that as motivation and get back to work for next season."

"Every school on Twitter say that 'We have the best fans in the nation' but I truly believe that for all the support we have had for our program. Obviously because of COVID, we had to limit the attendance today, but we still had an amazing atmosphere for what we were able to get in here. I think if we didn't have a cap for that match we could have a similar atmosphere to the NCAA Finals in 2018. If we had a packed house maybe that would have made a difference. The crowd and fans are so loyal and are awesome for us. We really appreciate their love. - Coach Tony Bresky

2020-21 Season Recap

Wake Forest finished the 2020-21 season with a 29-7 record and a 11-1 record in ACC play.
The Demon Deacons earned 17 shutouts, including four ranked shutouts.
The Deacs claimed nine wins over nationally ranked opponents. The season was highlighted by a win over then No. 2 North Carolina. The win snapped a 32-home match win streak for the Tar Heels dating back to 2018.
Wake Forest men's tennis picked up a number of postseason conference accolades as Henri Squire was named ACC Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on the All-ACC First Team, the league announced Thursday.
Additionally, senior Eduardo Nava made All-ACC Second Team, while senior Rrezart Cungu and sophomore Taha Baadi were listed on the All-ACC Third Team.
The Demon Deacons No. 1, Henri Squire led the team with eight ranked wins and also earned a bid to the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championship in Orlando, Florida May 23-28.
- Squire garnered two ACC Weekly honors.
  - ACC Singles Player of the Week/Co-Doubles Team of the Week (Mar. 16, 2021)
  - ACC Men's Tennis Singles Player of the Week (Mar. 23, 2021)
One of five seniors, Eduardo Nava finished his season with a 17-3 singles and 15-7 doubles record. He also earned a bid to the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championship with Squire.
- Nava garnered two ACC Weekly honors.
  - Co-Doubles Team of the Week (Mar. 16, 2021)
  - ACC Men's Tennis Singles Player of the Week (Apr. 6, 2021)
Six underclassmen made appearances in competition to combine for 108 total wins (54 singles, 54 doubles).
- Three underclassmen earned at least 10 or more combined wins.
Senior Rrezart Cungu led the team in singles wins with 21, including a season best nine match win streak to begin the season.
ITA Rankings (May 5):
- Team: No. 9
- Singles:
  - No. 13 Henri Squire
  - No. 40 Eduardo Nava
  - No. 97 Taha Baadi
- Doubles:
  - No. 12 Eduardo Nava/Henri Squire
  - No. 87 Siddhant Banthia/Matthew Thomson

RESULTS
Singles competition
#13 Henri Squire (WF) def. John McNally (OSU) 6-4, 7-5
#40 Eduardo Nava (WF) vs. #120 Cannon Kingsley (OSU) 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), unfinished
James Trotter (OSU) def. #97 Taha Baadi (WF) 6-3, 6-4
Rrezart Cungu (WF) vs. Justin Boulais (OSU) 2-6, 6-2, 4-4, unfinished
Kyle Seelig (OSU) def. Melios Efstathiou (WF) 7-5, 7-5
JJ Tracy (OSU) def. Siddhant Banthia (WF) 6-3, 6-3

Doubles competition
#12 Eduardo Nava/Henri Squire (WF) vs. James Trotter/Justin Boulais (OSU) 4-5, unfinished
John McNally/Robert Cash (OSU) def. #87 Siddhant Banthia/Matthew Thomson (WF) 6-3
Cannon Kingsley/JJ Tracy (OSU) def. Taha Baadi/Melios Efstathiou (WF) 6-4

Match Notes
Ohio State 22-3, 15-1 B1G; National ranking #35
Wake Forest 29-7, 11-1 ACC; National ranking #9
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (6,3,1,5)
NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Tournament - Second Round Official: Rebel Good A-130

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Team Stats

Players Mentioned

Taha Baadi

Siddhant Banthia

Rrezart Cungu

Melios Efstathiou

Eduardo Nava

Henri Squire

Matthew Thomson