Wake Forest University
Kentucky
Wake Forest Falls in Round of 16 in 2022 NCAA Men’s Tennis Championships
5/14/2022 6:36:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The Demon Deacons conclude the 2022 season with 33 wins, most since 2019.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Battling adverse weather conditions, the No. 9 ranked Wake Forest men's tennis team (33-7) fought hard against No. 8 Kentucky in the third round of the 2022 NCAA Men's Tennis Championship. However, the Demon Deacons fell to the Wildcats by a final of 4-2.
Wake Forest opened the afternoon securing the doubles point as the pairings of No. 34 Siddhant Banthia/Jakob Schnaitter and Ben Draper/Matthew Thomson earned victories.
In singles play, Rrezart Cungu earned Wake Forest a second point in defeating Kentucky's Francois Musitelli in two sets before Kentucky would ultimately claim the victory.
The 2022 season was once again a memorable one for the program, highlighted by a perfect 26-0 record on home court. Additionally, the Demon Deacons won 14 matches this season against ranked foes.
How it Happened
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Doubles were tightly-played through the first few games.
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All three courts became tied at 2-2 after an early stretch.
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Facing a ranked Kentucky pair in No. 55 Millen Hurrion/Francois Musitelli, veterans Eduardo Nava and Robert Maciag displayed serious grit, going bit for bit in first doubles.
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Draper and Thomson found some breathing room after winning two more games and leading 5-3.
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The two Deacs ultimately took care of business on powerful serves to secure a 6-4 win.
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Shortly afterward, No. 34 Siddhant Banthia/Jakob Schnaitter closed the door on a 6-3 clinch, giving Wake Forest a 1-0 start.
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Underway in singles, Banthia won his first three games in the opening set.
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Rrezart Cungu joined Banthia as another Deac to jump in front (3-2).
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Cungu took three of his next four games, becoming the first Wake Forest individual to win a set (6-3).
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Banthia and Schnaitter each sat at a 5-5 tie in their first frame, at the time.
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After falling in the first period, Melios Efstathiou stole three games to open his second set of work.
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Kentucky tied the match at 1-1 after notching a first singles win.
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In a similar way to Efstathiou, Nava continued to put up a fight throughout the second set (4-6, 4-2).
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Cungu finished victorious on court four in straight sets, refusing to allow a tiebreaker.
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Nevertheless, the match became even once again (2-2) when Kentucky won in sixth singles.
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Efstathiou, Nava, and Schnaitter all forced a third set before the initial lightning delay was issued.
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Following 77 minutes of patient waiting, the two teams resumed play indoors, with three solo matches remaining.
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Kentucky finished off second singles before clinching the match point in third singles.
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Wake Forest fell, 4-2.
Singles Results
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No. 4 Liam Draxl (UK) def. No. 89 Jurabek Karimov (WF) 6-3, 6-1
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No. 21 Gabriel Diallo (UK) def. Melios Efstathiou (WF) 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
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No. 83 Millen Hurrion (UK) def. No. 61 Eduardo Nava (WF) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
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Rrezart Cungu (WF) def. Francois Musitelli (UK) 6-3, 7-5
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No. 113 Joshua Lapadat (UK) vs. Jakob Schnaitter (WF) 7-5, 3-6, 3-2, unfinished.
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JJ Mercer (UK) def. Siddhant Banthia (WF) 7-6 (3), 6-1
Doubles Results
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Eduardo Nava/Robert Maciag (WF) vs. #55 Millen Hurrion/Francois Musitelli (UK) 5-5, unfinished.
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No. 34 Siddhant Banthia/Jakob Schnaitter (WF) def. Gabriel Diallo/Joshua Lapadat (UK) 6-3
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Ben Draper/Matthew Thomson (WF) def. Liam Draxl/Alexandre Leblanc (UK) 6-4
Order of Finish: Doubles (3, 2), Singles (1, 4, 6, 2, 3
Up Next
In less than two weeks, Filippo Moroni will represent the Demon Deacons with three alternates at the 2022 NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships in Champaign, Illinois.
Moroni earned an at-large selection to compete in the 64-player singles draw with Eduardo Nava being named an alternate and Siddhant Banthia and Jakob Schnaitter named an alternate in the doubles draw. The singles and doubles competition will be conducted May 23-28 at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex in Champaign, following the conclusion of the team championship, which runs from May 19-22. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will serve as a host institution.
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Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,2
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
1,4,6,2,3
Players Mentioned
