Deacs Defeat No. 11 Seed Virginia Tech, Advance to Quarterfinals of ACC Championships

CARY, N.C. – Behind a stellar 3-1 record in singles play, the sixth-seeded and 20th-ranked Wake Forest men's tennis team defeated No. 11 seed Virginia Tech, 4-1, Thursday evening at the Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C.

Thursday's second-round victory marked Wake Forest's (24-10, 7-5 ACC) 10th-consecutive win over the Hokies, dating back to 2015. Additionally, with Thursday's win, the Deacs will advance to the quarterfinals of the ACC Championships for the eighth-consecutive season.

Wake Forest clinched the doubles point Thursday behind wins in the second and third slots as Melios Efstathiou/Juan Lopez de Azcona downed Matt Harper/Frank Thompson, 6-4 and No. 70 Jurabek Karimov/Luciano Tacchi knocked off Alvaro Ariza/Scott Sculley, 6-3.

Leading 1-0 heading into singles play, the Demon Deacons rolled to a 4-1 decision behind victories in first, second and fifth singles to advance to the quarterfinals of the ACC Championships.

Of note, No. 5 Melios Efstathiou's victory in first singles over No. 49 Ryan Fishback marked his 19th dual singles victory of the 2023 campaign. Additionally, the win marked his seventh win over a top-50 opponent this season.

How It Happened

Wake Forest got off to a solid start in doubles, taking a 2-1 lead in each match.
Virginia Tech stormed back in first and second doubles as it held a 3-2 lead on both courts.
- Melios Efstathiou/Juan Lopez de Azcona led 3-1 in third doubles.
The Hokies struck first with a 6-3 victory on court one.
Minutes later, Efstathiou/Lopez de Azcona evened the doubles ledger behind a 6-4 victory in third doubles.
The Deacs went on to clinch the doubles point as No. 70 Jurabek Karimov/Luciano Tacchi earned a 6-3 win in second doubles.
- Wake Forest took a 1-0 lead into singles play.
The Demon Deacons' momentum from doubles carried over into singles as the Deacs took the opening set on five courts.
- 1) No. 5 Melios Efstathiou won 6-3.
- 2) Filippo Moroni won 6-3.
- 3) No. 98 Jurabek Karimov won 6-2.
- 5) Luciano Tacchi won 6-1.
- 6) Juan Lopez de Azcona won 7-5.
Virginia Tech tied the contest at one behind a 6-4, 6-4 victory in fourth singles.
Wake Forest quickly regained the lead as No. 5 Melios Efstathiou defeated No. 49 Ryan Fishback 6-3, 6-3.
Shortly after, Filippo Moroni extended the Demon Deacons' lead to 3-1 as he knocked off Alvaro Ariza 6-3, 6-4.
Luciano Tacchi went on to clinch the victory for Wake Forest with a 6-1, 7-6 (7-1) in fifth singles.
At the time of the clinch, the Deacs led on the two remaining courts.
- No. 98 Jurabek Karimov led 6-2, 5-6 in third singles against Scott Sculley.
- Juan Lopez de Azcona led 7-5, 4-4 in sixth singles versus Frank Thompson.
Wake Forest defeated Virginia Tech, 4-1.

Singles Results
1. #5 Melios Efstathiou (WFU) def. #49 Ryan Fishback (VT) 6-3, 6-3
2. Filippo Moroni (WFU) def. Alvaro Ariza (VT) 6-3, 6-4
3. #98 Jurabek Karimov (WFU) vs. Scott Sculley (VT) 6-2, 5-6, unfinished
4. Hugo Maia (VT) def. Matthew Thomson (WFU) 6-4, 6-4
5. Luciano Tacchi (WFU) def. Alberto Orso (VT) 6-1, 7-6 (7-1)
6. Juan Lopez de Azcona (WFU) vs. Frank Thompson (VT) 7-5, 4-4, unfinished

Doubles Results
1. #24 Jordan Chrysostom/Ryan Fishback (VT) def. Filippo Moroni/Matthew Thomson (WFU) 6-3
2. #70 Jurabek Karimov/Luciano Tacchi (WFU) def. Alvaro Ariza/Scott Sculley (VT) 6-3
3. Melios Efstathiou/Juan Lopez de Azcona (WFU) def. Matt Harper/Frank Thompson (VT) 6-4

From Coach Bresky
"It was good to start the tournament with a win and having the opportunity to move on. We did a good job in doubles and singles. Luckily, it wasn't too hot today, so we will be able to recover properly and gear up for another test tomorrow against NC State." - Head coach Tony Bresky

Up Next
With Thursday's win, the Demon Deacons will move on to face third-seeded and 23rd-ranked NC State on Friday at 6 p.m.

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Deacs Defeat No. 11 Seed Virginia Tech, Advance to Quarterfinals of ACC Championships

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Team Stats

Players Mentioned

Melios Efstathiou

Jurabek Karimov

Juan Lopez de Azcona

Filippo Moroni

Luciano Tacchi

Matthew Thomson

Wake Forest Athletics