Sunday, January 28
Chapel Hill, N.C.
2:00 p.m.
Wake Forest University
4
vs
1
Illinois
Photo by: JEFFREY A. CAMARATI
No. 17 Wake Forest Advances to ITA National Team Indoor Championship
1/28/2024 6:39:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The Demon Deacons punched their ticket to the annual tournament for the third-straight season after winning the North Carolina Regional.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – With a berth to the ITA National Team Indoor Championship on the line, the 17th-ranked Wake Forest men's tennis team earned a decisive 4-1 victory over Illinois Sunday evening at the Chewning Tennis Center in Chapel Hill.
With the victory, the Demon Deacons (4-1) punched their ticket to the 2024 ITA National Team Indoor Championship, which will be held Feb. 16-19 in New York, N.Y.
The Deacs navigated arguably one of the toughest regionals en route to their third-consecutive trip to the annual tournament, as the North Carolina Regional consisted of 25 percent of the teams (No. 16 North Carolina, No. 20 Florida and Illinois) that reached last season's indoor championship.
Sunday's win over Illinois (2-2) marked Wake Forest's third win in its last four meetings against the Fighting Illini, dating back to 2018.
The Demon Deacons got off to a strong start in doubles play, taking the lead on each court, before going on to secure the point behind wins in the first and third slots, respectively.
Taking a 1-0 lead into singles action, sophomore No. 54 DK Suresh Ekambaram, graduate student Holden Koons and freshman Luca Pow all earned straight-set victories to clinch Wake Forest's third-straight trip to indoor nationals.
Of note, the Demon Deacons have now reached the ITA National Team Indoor Championship in eight of the past nine seasons.
How It Happened
Singles Results
1. #55 Karlis Ozolins (ILL) def. #7 Filippo Moroni (WFU) 6-3, 6-4
2. #54 DK Suresh Ekambaram (WFU) def. #46 Hunter Heck (ILL) 7-5, 7-5
3. Matthew Thomson (WFU) vs. #17 Kenta Miyoshi (ILL) 3-6, 6-6, unfinished
4. Luciano Tacchi (WFU) vs. Alex Petrov (ILL) 6-2, 4-6, 2-0, unfinished
5. Holden Koons (WFU) def. Oliver Okonkwo (ILL) 7-6 (7-4), 6-3
6. Luca Pow (WFU) def. William Mroz (ILL) 6-4, 7-6 (7-4)
Doubles Results
1. #18 DK Suresh Ekambaram/Holden Koons (WFU) def. Lucas Horve/Oliver Okonkwo (ILL) 7-6 (7-4)
2. #4 Hunter Heck/Karlis Ozolins (ILL) def. Matthew Thomson/Filippo Moroni (WFU) 7-5
3. Luciano Tacchi/Luca Pow (WFU) def. Mathis Debru/Kenta Miyoshi (ILL) 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (1,6,2,5)
From Coach Bresky
"Overall, it was a really good weekend. Doubles play was tight, so it was good to get the point. We really got off to a great start in singles. To pull out three straight-set wins against a quality Illinois team was huge. Illinois beat up on us last year at indoor nationals, so we knew they were a very solid team. We're excited to get back home in front of our fans next weekend." - Head coach Tony Bresky
Up Next
The Demon Deacons will now return home to host UNC Greensboro and No. 11 Columbia for a double-header inside the Wake Forest Indoor Tennis Center on Friday, Feb. 2.
First serve is slated for 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., respectively.
Follow the Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
With the victory, the Demon Deacons (4-1) punched their ticket to the 2024 ITA National Team Indoor Championship, which will be held Feb. 16-19 in New York, N.Y.
The Deacs navigated arguably one of the toughest regionals en route to their third-consecutive trip to the annual tournament, as the North Carolina Regional consisted of 25 percent of the teams (No. 16 North Carolina, No. 20 Florida and Illinois) that reached last season's indoor championship.
Sunday's win over Illinois (2-2) marked Wake Forest's third win in its last four meetings against the Fighting Illini, dating back to 2018.
The Demon Deacons got off to a strong start in doubles play, taking the lead on each court, before going on to secure the point behind wins in the first and third slots, respectively.
Taking a 1-0 lead into singles action, sophomore No. 54 DK Suresh Ekambaram, graduate student Holden Koons and freshman Luca Pow all earned straight-set victories to clinch Wake Forest's third-straight trip to indoor nationals.
Of note, the Demon Deacons have now reached the ITA National Team Indoor Championship in eight of the past nine seasons.
How It Happened
- Wake Forest got off to a stellar start in doubles play, taking a 2-1 lead on all three courts.
- Each of the Demon Deacons' three pairings eventually held a 4-3 lead.
- Luciano Tachi/Luca Pow became the first duo to take a doubles match, earning a 6-4 victory in the third slot over Mathis Debru/Kenta Miyoshi.
- Illinois evened the doubles ledger after notching a win on court two.
- No. 18 DK Suresh Ekambaram/Holden Koons then secured the doubles point for Wake Forest after knocking off Lucas Horve/Oliver Okonkwo, 7-6 (7-4).
- The Demon Deacons held a 1-0 lead, heading into singles action.
- Wake Forest carried its momentum into singles play, taking the opening set on four courts.
- 2) No. 54 DK Suresh Ekambaram won 7-5.
- 4) Luciano Tacchi won 6-2.
- 5) Holden Koons won 7-6 (7-4).
- 6) Luca Pow won 6-4.
- Illinois tied the contest at one after notching a victory in first singles.
- Minutes later, Luca Pow defeated William Mroz, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), giving the Demon Deacons a 2-1 lead.
- No. 54 DK Suresh Ekambaram then extended the Deacs' advantage after storming back from a second set deficit to knock off No. 46 Hunter Heck (7-5, 7-5).
- Holden Koons clinched the victory with an electric win over Oliver Okonkwo, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 on court five.
- Wake Forest defeated Illinois, 4-1, to punch their ticket to the 2024 ITA National Team Indoor Championship.
Singles Results
1. #55 Karlis Ozolins (ILL) def. #7 Filippo Moroni (WFU) 6-3, 6-4
2. #54 DK Suresh Ekambaram (WFU) def. #46 Hunter Heck (ILL) 7-5, 7-5
3. Matthew Thomson (WFU) vs. #17 Kenta Miyoshi (ILL) 3-6, 6-6, unfinished
4. Luciano Tacchi (WFU) vs. Alex Petrov (ILL) 6-2, 4-6, 2-0, unfinished
5. Holden Koons (WFU) def. Oliver Okonkwo (ILL) 7-6 (7-4), 6-3
6. Luca Pow (WFU) def. William Mroz (ILL) 6-4, 7-6 (7-4)
Doubles Results
1. #18 DK Suresh Ekambaram/Holden Koons (WFU) def. Lucas Horve/Oliver Okonkwo (ILL) 7-6 (7-4)
2. #4 Hunter Heck/Karlis Ozolins (ILL) def. Matthew Thomson/Filippo Moroni (WFU) 7-5
3. Luciano Tacchi/Luca Pow (WFU) def. Mathis Debru/Kenta Miyoshi (ILL) 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (1,6,2,5)
From Coach Bresky
"Overall, it was a really good weekend. Doubles play was tight, so it was good to get the point. We really got off to a great start in singles. To pull out three straight-set wins against a quality Illinois team was huge. Illinois beat up on us last year at indoor nationals, so we knew they were a very solid team. We're excited to get back home in front of our fans next weekend." - Head coach Tony Bresky
Up Next
The Demon Deacons will now return home to host UNC Greensboro and No. 11 Columbia for a double-header inside the Wake Forest Indoor Tennis Center on Friday, Feb. 2.
First serve is slated for 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., respectively.
Follow the Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,2,1
#1 Singles Match
12
Karlis Ozolins / 0 (55/-) [ILL]
66
34
#2 Singles Match
12
Hunter Heck / 0 (46/-) [ILL]
55
77
#3 Singles Match
123
Kenta Miyoshi / 0 (17/-) [ILL]
660
36UF
#4 Singles Match
1234
Alex Petrov / 0 [ILL]
2600
642UF
#5 Singles Match
12
Oliver Okonkwo / 0 [ILL]
63
76
#6 Singles Match
12
William Mroz / 0 [ILL]
46
67
Order of Finish:
1,6,2,5
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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