No. 9 Wake Forest Falls to No. 7 Texas in ITA Division I National Team Indoor Championship

CHICAGO, Ill. – Despite a resilient effort, the ninth-ranked Wake Forest men's tennis team dropped a 4-0 decision to No. 7 Texas Friday in the first round of the 2023 ITA Division I National Team Indoor Championship inside the XS Tennis Village in Chicago, Ill.

With the loss, the Demon Deacons (11-3, 0-0 ACC) will now move to the consolation draw of the tournament where they will square off with host Illinois.

Friday, the Longhorns (8-1, 0-0 Big 12) jumped out to a 1-0 lead behind victories in first and second doubles as No. 4 Cleeve Harper/Eliot Spizzirri notched a 6-4 victory over Juan Lopez de Azcona/Filippo Moroni, while Siem Woldeab/Pierre-Yves Bailly earned a 6-3 decision over Luciano Tacchi/Jurabek Karimov.

Texas carried its momentum from doubles play into singles as the Longhorns won the first set in each singles match en route to a 4-0 sweep over the Deacs.

With Friday's result, the Demon Deacons will now face host Illinois in a consolation match tomorrow (Feb. 18) at 7:30 p.m. ET.

The live stream for Saturday's match against the Fighting Illini will be provided via Cracked Racquets, while the live stats can be found here.

How It Happened

Wake Forest got off to an excellent start in doubles as the Demon Deacons were tied or leading on all three courts after the first four games of each match.
Texas responded in emphatic fashion as the Longhorns stormed back in first and second doubles, securing victories on both courts, to notch the doubles point.
- No. 4 Cleeve Harper/Eliot Spizzirri defeated Juan Lopez de Azcona/Filippo Moroni, 6-4.
- Siem Woldeab/Pierre-Yves Bailly earned a 6-3 decision over Luciano Tacchi/Jurabek Karimov.
  - The loss marked only the second of the season for the duo of Tacchi/Karimov.
Heading into singles action, the Longhorns continued their stellar play as they secured victories in set one on every court.
Wake Forest refused to go away as the Demon Deacons won at least two games in set two of each match.
Karimov became the first Deac to win a set as he notched a 6-3 victory in set two of his match against Woldeab.
- The Tashkent, Uzbekistan native used a variety of shots to force a deciding set in fourth singles.
Despite a strong effort from Wake Forest, Texas went on to secure victories in third and fifth singles to take a 3-0 lead.
- No. 112 Cleeve Harper defeated Thomson 6-4, 6-2, while No. 65 Micah Braswell defeated Luciano Tacchi 6-4, 6-3.
  - The loss marked only the second duals singles loss of Thomson's career, both of which came this season.
Texas then clinched the match as Nevin Arimilli defeated Bozo Barun in sixth singles 6-3, 6-2.

Singles Results
1. Melios Efstathiou (WFU) vs. Eliot Spizzirri (UT) 4-6, 2-5, unfinished
2. Filippo Moroni (WFU) vs. Pierre-Yves Bailly (UT) 4-6, 3-5, unfinished
3. Micah Braswell (UT) def. Luciano Tacchi (WFU) 6-4, 6-3
4. Jurabek Karimov (WFU) vs. Siem Woldeab (UT) 1-6, 6-3, 0-1, unfinished
5. Cleeve Harper (UT) def. Matthew Thomson (WFU) 6-4, 6-2
6. Nevin Arimilli (UT) def. Bozo Barun (WFU) 6-3, 6-2

Doubles Results
1. Eliot Spizzirri/Cleeve Harper (UT) def. Juan Lopez de Azcona/Filippo Moroni (WFU) 6-4
2. Siem Woldeab/Pierre-Yves Bailly (UT) def. Luciano Tacchi/Jurabek Karimov (WFU) 6-3
3. Melios Efstathiou/Matthew Thomson (WFU) vs. Micah Braswell/Chih Chi Huang (UT) 4-4, unfinished

From Coach Bresky
"Congratulations to Texas. As a team, they outplayed us tonight. We have to regroup and come back stronger tomorrow. We look forward to the challenge ahead." - Coach Tony Bresky

Up Next
The Demon Deacons will face host Illinois in a consolation match tomorrow (Feb. 18) at 7:30 p.m. ET.

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No. 9 Wake Forest Falls to No. 7 Texas in ITA Division I National Team Indoor Championship

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Team Stats

Players Mentioned

Melios Efstathiou

Jurabek Karimov

Juan Lopez de Azcona

Filippo Moroni

Luciano Tacchi

Matthew Thomson