
No. 18 Wake Forest Primed for ‘Big Four’ Battle With No. 22 NC State
4/11/2023 3:01:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The Demon Deacons are seeking their eighth-straight victory over the Wolfpack, dating back to 2017.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Following a 7-0 sweep over Virginia Tech, the Wake Forest men's tennis team will return to action Wednesday for a 'Big Four' showdown with No. 22 NC State at the JW Isenhour Tennis Center in Raleigh, N.C.
First serve is slated for 6 p.m., and the match can be streamed via Track Tennis.
Wake Forest enters Wednesday's match with a 22-9 overall record, including a 6-4 mark in ACC play. The Deacs have won seven of their last 10, including ranked victories over Baylor, Louisville and Notre Dame.
Additionally, over their last six matches, the Demon Deacons are out-scoring their opponents 25-14.
Wake Forest has been led by No. 7 Melios Efstathiou this season as the Limassol, Cyprus native owns a 17-4 dual singles record.
Postseason Outlook
With two matches remaining, the Demon Deacons are in position to potentially host a regional in the NCAA Tournament as they are ranked 18th nationally. Currently, the Deacs are ranked sixth in the ACC but sit only one match out of fourth. Of note, the top four seeds in the league receive a double-bye in the ACC Tournament.
Match Schedule
The live stream for Wednesday's match will be provided via Track Tennis, while the live results can be found here.
Ranked Deacs
Singles
No. 7 - Melios Efstathiou
No. 107 - Jurabek Karimov
Doubles
No. 38 - Juan Lopez de Azcona/Filippo Moroni
No. 73 - Jurabek Karimov/Luciano Tacchi
Last Time Out
Behind a 6-0 record in singles action, Wake Forest earned a 7-0 sweep over ACC foe Virginia Tech Sunday at the Wake Forest Tennis Center.
With Sunday's decision, the Demon Deacons earned their ninth win against a ranked opponent this season and their ninth-consecutive victory over the Hokies, dating back to 2015.
Sunday's win also improved the Deacs to a stellar 19-4 at home this season, marking the ninth-straight season the Demon Deacons have finished with a home winning percentage over 80 percent.
Wake Forest took the doubles point against Virginia Tech behind victories in second and third doubles as Matthew Thomson/Filippo Moroni defeated Alberto Orso/Scott Sculley (6-2) and Juan Lopez de Azcona/Melios Efstathiou knocked off Matt Harper/Frank Thompson (6-4).
Of note, the senior doubles pairing of Efstathiou/Lopez de Azcona clinched the doubles point for Wake Forest in their final home match.
The Demon Deacons' momentum from doubles play carried over into singles as the Deacs went a perfect 6-0 in singles play to secure the match victory. Of note, with Sunday's win in first singles, Efstathiou improved to 17-4 this season.
The Matchup - No. 22 NC State
NC State enters Wednesday's contest with a 13-8 mark, including a 7-3 ledger in ACC play. The Wolfpack are currently one match ahead of the Demon Deacons in the league standings, with the winner of Wednesday's contest taking sole possession of fifth place in the conference.
NC State is coming off a 4-2 loss to first place Virginia and a 5-2 victory over Virginia Tech last weekend.
Ranked Wolfpack
Singles
No. 54 - Rafael Iziquierdo
No. 73 - Luca Staeheli
Doubles
No. 18 - Robin Catry/Luca Staeheli
No. 21 - Rafael Iziquierdo/Joseph Wayand
The Demon Deacons are 42-11 all-time against NC State and have won seven-straight, dating back to 2017. Over Wake Forest's seven-match win streak, the Deacs have out-scored the Wolfpack 34-10.
Next Up
The Demon Deacons will return to action Sunday when they travel to face Boston College in the regular season finale.
Follow the Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
First serve is slated for 6 p.m., and the match can be streamed via Track Tennis.
Wake Forest enters Wednesday's match with a 22-9 overall record, including a 6-4 mark in ACC play. The Deacs have won seven of their last 10, including ranked victories over Baylor, Louisville and Notre Dame.
Additionally, over their last six matches, the Demon Deacons are out-scoring their opponents 25-14.
Wake Forest has been led by No. 7 Melios Efstathiou this season as the Limassol, Cyprus native owns a 17-4 dual singles record.
Postseason Outlook
With two matches remaining, the Demon Deacons are in position to potentially host a regional in the NCAA Tournament as they are ranked 18th nationally. Currently, the Deacs are ranked sixth in the ACC but sit only one match out of fourth. Of note, the top four seeds in the league receive a double-bye in the ACC Tournament.
Match Schedule
- Wednesday, April 12
- 6 p.m. - No. 18 Wake Forest at No. 22 NC State
The live stream for Wednesday's match will be provided via Track Tennis, while the live results can be found here.
Ranked Deacs
Singles
No. 7 - Melios Efstathiou
No. 107 - Jurabek Karimov
Doubles
No. 38 - Juan Lopez de Azcona/Filippo Moroni
No. 73 - Jurabek Karimov/Luciano Tacchi
Last Time Out
Behind a 6-0 record in singles action, Wake Forest earned a 7-0 sweep over ACC foe Virginia Tech Sunday at the Wake Forest Tennis Center.
With Sunday's decision, the Demon Deacons earned their ninth win against a ranked opponent this season and their ninth-consecutive victory over the Hokies, dating back to 2015.
Sunday's win also improved the Deacs to a stellar 19-4 at home this season, marking the ninth-straight season the Demon Deacons have finished with a home winning percentage over 80 percent.
Wake Forest took the doubles point against Virginia Tech behind victories in second and third doubles as Matthew Thomson/Filippo Moroni defeated Alberto Orso/Scott Sculley (6-2) and Juan Lopez de Azcona/Melios Efstathiou knocked off Matt Harper/Frank Thompson (6-4).
Of note, the senior doubles pairing of Efstathiou/Lopez de Azcona clinched the doubles point for Wake Forest in their final home match.
The Demon Deacons' momentum from doubles play carried over into singles as the Deacs went a perfect 6-0 in singles play to secure the match victory. Of note, with Sunday's win in first singles, Efstathiou improved to 17-4 this season.
The Matchup - No. 22 NC State
NC State enters Wednesday's contest with a 13-8 mark, including a 7-3 ledger in ACC play. The Wolfpack are currently one match ahead of the Demon Deacons in the league standings, with the winner of Wednesday's contest taking sole possession of fifth place in the conference.
NC State is coming off a 4-2 loss to first place Virginia and a 5-2 victory over Virginia Tech last weekend.
Ranked Wolfpack
Singles
No. 54 - Rafael Iziquierdo
No. 73 - Luca Staeheli
Doubles
No. 18 - Robin Catry/Luca Staeheli
No. 21 - Rafael Iziquierdo/Joseph Wayand
The Demon Deacons are 42-11 all-time against NC State and have won seven-straight, dating back to 2017. Over Wake Forest's seven-match win streak, the Deacs have out-scored the Wolfpack 34-10.
Next Up
The Demon Deacons will return to action Sunday when they travel to face Boston College in the regular season finale.
Follow the Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Players Mentioned
Coach Jake Dickert Press Conference (Sept. 22, 2025)
Monday, September 22
Wake Forest Football Head Coach Jake Dickert Press Conference (Week 5)
Monday, September 22
Football Media Availability (9/18/25)
Thursday, September 18
Matt Barrie SportsCenter at Wake Forest with Demond Claiborne
Wednesday, September 10