Wake Forest University
#1 Ohio State
No. 13 Wake Forest Falls to No. 1 Ohio State
2/4/2024 2:54:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The Demon Deacons will now travel to face No. 2 South Carolina on Thursday, Feb. 8.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 13th-ranked Wake Forest men's tennis team dropped a 6-1 decision to No. 1 Ohio State Sunday evening at the Ty Tucker Center in Columbus, Ohio.
Individually, the Demon Deacons were led by graduate student Holden Koons as he notched a 4-6, 6-3, 10-4 victory in fifth singles.
After dropping the opening set, Koons used a variety of shots to secure a 6-3 victory in set two, to force an all-or-nothing deciding set. Koons then secured the Demon Deacons' lone point of the contest with a spirited 10-4 victory in set three.
Of note, Koons' win marked the first point No. 1 Ohio State (8-0) had relinquished all season.
In addition to his dual singles victory, Koons and teammate DK Suresh Ekambaram earned a 6-2 win in first doubles over Andrew Lutschaunig/Justin Boulais. With the win, No. 18 Suresh Ekambaram/Koons improved to a stellar 5-0 in doubles play on the season.
Wake Forest has now faced back-to-back top 10 opponents after earning a 5-2 victory over No. 9 Columbia on Friday evening.
How It Happened
- Wake Forest faced an early deficit in doubles play, trailing 3-1 in second and third doubles.
- The Demon Deacons led 2-1 on court one.
- No. 18 DK Suresh Ekambaram/Holden Koons took a commanding 5-2 lead in first doubles.
- Ohio State struck first in doubles play, taking court three (6-3).
- No. 18 DK Suresh Ekambaram/Holden Koons then knocked off Andrew Lutschaunig/Justin Boulais to even the doubles ledger.
- The Buckeyes went on to clinch the point behind a 6-4 win on court two.
- Wake Forest trailed 1-0, heading into singles play.
- Ohio State took a 2-0 lead as No. 103 Alexander Bernard defeated Luca Pow 6-1, 6-3 on court six.
- The Buckeyes then extended their lead as Justin Boulais earned a 6-3, 6-0 win over No. 7 Filippo Moroni.
- Ohio State clinched the match with a win in fourth singles, before taking a 5-0 lead with a victory on court three.
- The Buckeyes then took a 6-0 lead with a win in first singles.
- Holden Koons picked up the Demon Deacons' lone point after securing a come-from-behind victory over Robert Cash (4-6, 6-3, 10-4).
- No. 13 Wake Forest fell to No. 1 Ohio State, 6-1.
Singles Results
1. Cannon Kingsley (OSU) def. #54 DK Suresh Ekambaram (WFU) 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
2. Justin Boulais (OSU) def. #7 Filippo Moroni (WFU) 6-3, 6-0
3. #4 JJ Tracy (OSU) def. Luciano Tacchi (WFU) 6-3, 6-2
4. #11 Jack Anthrop (OSU) def. Matthew Thomson (WFU) 6-1, 1-6, 6-1
5. Holden Koons (WFU) def. Robert Cash (OSU) 4-6, 6-3, 10-4
6. #103 Alexander Bernard (OSU) def. Luca Pow (WFU) 6-1, 6-3
Doubles Results
1. #18 DK Suresh Ekambaram/Holden Koons (WFU) def. Andrew Lutschaunig/Justin Boulais (OSU) 6-2
2. Cannon Kingsley/JJ Tracy (OSU) def. Filippo Moroni/Matthew Thomson (WFU) 6-4
3. #27 Bryce Nakashima/Robert Cash (OSU) def. Luciano Tacchi/Luca Pow (WFU) 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (6,2,4,3,1,5)
From Coach Bresky
"It was a tough day. Obviously Ohio State is really good, but we didn't play our best. They're tough to beat at home and they have a long winning streak here for a reason. We did some good things, but there's things we have to improve on. We're looking forward to another ranked test at South Carolina on Thursday." - Head coach Tony Bresky
Up Next
The Demon Deacons will return to action Thursday (Feb. 8), traveling to face No. 2 South Carolina.
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Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,1,2
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
6,2,4,3,1,5
Players Mentioned
