Wake Forest University
UNC Greensboro
No. 13 Wake Forest Poised for Trio of Weekend Matches
2/1/2024 5:15:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The Demon Deacons will host No. 9 Columbia Friday at 5 p.m., inside the Wake Forest Indoor Tennis Center.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The 13th-ranked Wake Forest men's tennis team will return to action Friday hosting UNC Greensboro and No. 9 Columbia inside the Wake Forest Indoor Tennis Center, before traveling to face No. 1 Ohio State on Sunday.
First serve for Friday's matches are set for 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., respectively. Meanwhile, Sunday's match at No. 1 Ohio State will begin at 11 a.m.
Match Schedule
- Friday, Feb. 2 (Home)
- 11:00 a.m. - No. 13 Wake Forest vs. UNC Greensboro
- 5:00 p.m. - No. 13 Wake Forest vs. No. 9 Columbia
- Sunday, Feb. 4 (Away)
- 11 a.m. - No. 13 Wake Forest at No. 1 Ohio State
How To Follow
The live stream for all matches will be provided via Playsight, while the live results can be found here.
Fan Information
Wake Forest Athletics is committed to providing the Best Fan Experience in North Carolina within a safe and fan-friendly environment. Admission to all Wake Forest tennis regular season matches are free of charge.
Free pizza will be available for the first 50 fans Friday against No. 9 Columbia.
Last Time Out (Kickoff Weekend 2024)
With a berth to the ITA National Team Indoor Championship on the line, then-No. 17 Wake Forest 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.
ITA Rankings
In the latest ITA Rankings, Wake Forest was ranked 13th nationally. The Demon Deacons have three singles players and one doubles pair currently ranked.
Ranked Deacs
- Singles
- No. 7 Filippo Moroni
- No. 54 DK Suresh Ekambaram
- No. 78 Franco Capalbo
- Doubles
- No. 18 DK Suresh Ekambaram
The Matchup - UNC Greensboro
UNC Greensboro is set to open its 2024 campaign this week, facing Belmont Abbey on Thursday before traveling to Winston-Salem on Friday. The Spartans are coming off a 2023 season where they finished 4-22 overall and 0-7 in the Southern Conference (SoCon).
The Demon Deacons are a perfect 8-0 against UNC Greensboro all-time, dating back to 1993. The Deacs most recently defeated the Spartans, 6-1, on March 26, 2023.
The Matchup - No. 9 Columbia
No. 9 Columbia is off to a perfect 3-0 start to the 2024 season, most notably earning a 6-1 victory over then-No. 13 North Carolina on Jan. 21. The Lions are led by reigning Ivy League Player of the Year, sophomore Michael Zheng.
Ranked Lions
- Singles
- No. 24 - Michael Zheng
- No. 106 - Ishaan Ravichander
- No. 110 - Max Westphal
- Doubles
- No. 21 - Nicolas Kotzen/Max Westphal
- No. 50 - Roko Horvat/Hugo Hashimoto
- No. 56 - Sachin Palta/Jayden Templeman
Friday will mark the fourth all-time meeting between Wake Forest and Columbia as the Demon Deacons currently boast a perfect 3-0 ledger against the Lions. Most recently, the Deacs defeated the Lions, 4-2, in 2019.
The Matchup - No. 1 Ohio State
No. 1 Ohio State enters the weekend a perfect 6-0 to open the 2024 campaign. The Buckeyes have yet to concede a single point this season, sweeping each of its first six opponents. Top-ranked Ohio State most recently earned a pair of sweeps over Vanderbilt and Boise State during ITA Kickoff Weekend.
Ranked Buckeyes
- Singles
- No. 4 - JJ Tracy
- No. 11 - Jack Anthrop
- No. 103 - Alexander Bernard
- Doubles
- No. 1 - Robert Cash/JJ Tracy
- No. 10 - Alexander Bernard/JJ Tracy
- No. 27 - Bryce Nakashima/Robert Cash
- No. 53 - Jack Anthrop/Preston Stearns
Friday will mark the 15th all-time meeting between the Demon Deacons and the Buckeyes, as the Deacs currently own a 3-11 ledger against Ohio State. A win Friday will mark the Demon Deacons' first win over the Buckeyes since the 2018 national championship.
Next Up
After facing No. 1 Ohio State on Sunday, the Demon Deacons will travel for a showdown with No. 2 South Carolina on Thursday, Feb. 8.
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Players Mentioned
