No. 19 Wake Forest Falls to No. 8 Virginia

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Despite a resilient effort, the 19th-ranked Wake Forest men's tennis team fell to defending ACC and NCAA Champion No. 8 Virginia 4-0 Friday inside the Wake Forest Indoor Tennis Center.

Despite Friday's defeat, the Demon Deacons (21-9, 5-4 ACC) still own a 4-3 record against the Cavaliers (18-4, 9-0 ACC) over the last seven meetings between the two sides.

Virginia jumped out to a 1-0 lead behind victories in first and second doubles as Inaki Montes/William Woodall defeated No. 87 Filippo Moroni/Matthew Thomson and Chris Rodesch/Jeffrey Von Der Schulenburg downed Luciano Tacchi/Bozo Barun.

The Demon Deacons fought to overcome the early deficit but ultimately fell 4-0 as Virginia earned wins in first, third and fourth singles to clinch the victory.

Wake Forest will look to snap its three-match skid Sunday when it hosts No. 73 Virginia Tech.

How It Happened

For the second-consecutive match, head coach Tony Bresky adjusted the doubles lineup as Filippo Moroni paired with Matthew Thomson, Melios Efstathiou teamed up with Juan Lopez de Azcona and Bozo Barun joined forces with Luciano Tacchi.
- 1) No. 87 Filippo Moroni/Matthew Thomson
- 2) Bozo Barun/Luciano Tacchi
- 3) Melios Efstathiou/Juan Lopez de Azcona
Doubles play started tightly contested as second and third doubles were tied 1-1 through two games.
Virginia eventually took control in doubles play as it owned a 3-2 lead on all three courts at the midway point.
The Cavaliers took first doubles as Inaki Montes/William Woodall defeated No. 87 Moroni/Thomson, 6-2.
Minutes later, Virginia clinched the doubles point as Chris Rodesch/Jeffery Von Der Schulenburg took down Tacchi/Barun, 6-3.
- Wake Forest faced a 1-0 deficit heading into singles play.
Virginia got off to a strong start in singles, taking the opening set on all six courts.
The Cavaliers extended their lead to 2-0 as No. 104 Ryan Goetz defeated Luciano Tacchi 6-1, 6-3 in fourth singles.
No. 14 Chris Rodesch of Virginia gave the Cavaliers a 3-0 lead as he edged No. 5 Melios Efstathiou in first singles.
Virginia then clinched as No. 39 Jeffrey Von Der Schulenburg defeated Matthew Thomson in third singles 6-4, 6-4.
- At the time of the clinch, Wake Forest led in sixth singles as Juan Lopez de Azcona held a 7-5, 1-1 lead.
- After dropping the opening set 6-1, Filippo Moroni battled back to take set two in second singles 6-1 to force a deciding set.
Wake Forest fell to Virginia, 4-0.

Singles Results
1. #14 Chris Rodesch (VA) def. #5 Melios Efstathiou (WFU) 6-2, 6-3
2. Filippo Moroni (WFU) vs. #23 Inaki Montes (VA) 1-6, 6-1, unfinished
3. #39 Jeffrey Von Der Schulenburg (VA) def. Matthew Thomson (WFU) 6-4, 6-4
4. #104 Ryan Goetz (VA) def. Luciano Tacchi (WFU) 6-1, 6-3
5. Bozo Barun (WFU) vs. Mans Dahlberg (VA) 2-6, 3-4, unfinished
6. Juan Lopez de Azcona (WFU) vs. Alexander Kiefer (VA) 7-5, 1-1, unfinished

Doubles Results
1. Inaki Montes/William Woodall (VA) def. #87 Filippo Moroni/Matthew Thomson (WFU) 6-2
2. Chris Rodesch/Jeffrey Von Der Schulenburg (VA) def. Luciano Tacchi/Bozo Barun (WFU) 6-3
3. Melios Efstathiou/Juan Lopez de Azcona (WFU) vs. Ryan Goetz/Alexander Kiefer (VA) 3-5, unfinished

From Coach Bresky
"Congratulations to UVA. They played well and showed why they're the reigning national champions. They certainly outplayed us, but it was a good learning experience. Obviously, it hurts to not have a healthy lineup, but that's just part of the deal. We'll try to get better and be ready for Sunday." - Head coach Tony Bresky

Up Next
The Demon Deacons will return to action Sunday, hosting No. 73 Virginia Tech at 1 p.m. for Senior Day. Melios Efstathiou, Jurabek Karimov and Juan Lopez de Azcona will be recognized prior to the match for their contributions to the Wake Forest men's tennis program.

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Team Stats

Players Mentioned

Melios Efstathiou

Jurabek Karimov

Juan Lopez de Azcona

Filippo Moroni

Luciano Tacchi

Matthew Thomson