Monday, May 22
Orlando, Fla.
Wake Forest University
vs
NCAA Singles Championships
Efstathiou Falls in NCAA Singles Championships
5/23/2023 1:14:00 AM | Men's Tennis
The Demon Deacons' 2023 campaign ended Tuesday morning.
ORLANDO – Following a weather delay that lasted over six hours, pushing play into early Tuesday morning, senior Melios Efstathiou fell to No. 56 Samir Banerjee of Stanford (5-7, 4-6) in the opening round of the 2023 NCAA Singles Championships at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla.
With the loss, Efstathiou's historic 2023 campaign officially came to an end.
Against Banerjee, Efstathiou took the opening game before dropping the next four and facing a 4-1 deficit. The reigning ACC Player of the Year then won back-to-back games to narrow Banerjee's lead to 4-3.
Behind several excellent shots, Efstathiou went on to even the ledger in set one (5-5). Despite the rally, Banerjee took the ensuing two games to win set one, 7-5.
With his back against the wall, Efstathiou jumped out to a 4-1 lead in set two, taking control of the match. Banerjee then won five-straight games to secure the 7-5, 6-4 victory, advancing to the round of 32.
Melios Efstathiou
Efstathiou was tabbed the 2023 ACC Player of the Year this season, joining Noah Rubin who won the award in 2015 as the only Demon Deacons to earn the nod in program history.
Efstathiou's recognition came on the heels of a stellar season, in which he accumulated a 21-5 mark in dual singles action, including a 5-1 ledger over his final six matches. Of note, Efstathiou is currently ranked the No. 4 singles player nationally by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).
In addition to being crowned ACC Player of the Year, Efstathiou was tabbed to the All-ACC First Team, marking Wake Forest's 32nd honoree during the head coach Tony Bresky era.
During the 2023 ACC Championships, Efstathiou defeated then-No. 13 Garrett Johns, then-No. 49 Ryan Fishback and then-No. 58 Rafael Iziquierdo Luque in a three-day span, leading Wake Forest to its seventh ACC semifinal appearance in the last eight years.
Efstathiou by the Numbers (2023 Dual Singles)
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With the loss, Efstathiou's historic 2023 campaign officially came to an end.
Against Banerjee, Efstathiou took the opening game before dropping the next four and facing a 4-1 deficit. The reigning ACC Player of the Year then won back-to-back games to narrow Banerjee's lead to 4-3.
Behind several excellent shots, Efstathiou went on to even the ledger in set one (5-5). Despite the rally, Banerjee took the ensuing two games to win set one, 7-5.
With his back against the wall, Efstathiou jumped out to a 4-1 lead in set two, taking control of the match. Banerjee then won five-straight games to secure the 7-5, 6-4 victory, advancing to the round of 32.
Melios Efstathiou
Efstathiou was tabbed the 2023 ACC Player of the Year this season, joining Noah Rubin who won the award in 2015 as the only Demon Deacons to earn the nod in program history.
Efstathiou's recognition came on the heels of a stellar season, in which he accumulated a 21-5 mark in dual singles action, including a 5-1 ledger over his final six matches. Of note, Efstathiou is currently ranked the No. 4 singles player nationally by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).
In addition to being crowned ACC Player of the Year, Efstathiou was tabbed to the All-ACC First Team, marking Wake Forest's 32nd honoree during the head coach Tony Bresky era.
During the 2023 ACC Championships, Efstathiou defeated then-No. 13 Garrett Johns, then-No. 49 Ryan Fishback and then-No. 58 Rafael Iziquierdo Luque in a three-day span, leading Wake Forest to its seventh ACC semifinal appearance in the last eight years.
Efstathiou by the Numbers (2023 Dual Singles)
| Overall | Conference | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Streak | |
| Efstathiou | 21-5 | 7-2 | 18-5 | 3-0 | - | - | - | - | L1 |
Follow the Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
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