Thursday, February 8
Columbia, SC
3:00 p.m.
Wake Forest University
5
at
2
#4 South Carolina
No. 9 Wake Forest Upsets No. 4 South Carolina in Thriller
2/8/2024 7:14:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The Demon Deacons earned their first win over a top-five opponent since April 9, 2021.
COLUMBIA, S.C. – In a matchup between two top-10 foes, the ninth-ranked Wake Forest men's tennis team earned a 5-2 victory over No. 4 South Carolina Thursday evening at the Carolina Indoor Tennis Center in Columbia, S.C.
The win marked the Demon Deacons' (7-2, 0-0 ACC) first victory over a top-five opponent since April 9, 2021. Additionally, with Thursday's result, the Deacs have now knocked off two top-10 opponents in their past three matches.
Of note, Thursday also marked Wake Forest's first win over the fourth-ranked Gamecocks (3-2, 0-0 SEC) since the 2021 campaign.
The Demon Deacons took the doubles point Thursday behind victories in the first and third slots, before carrying their momentum into singles play.
After South Carolina tied it up with a win in second singles, Wake Forest immediately took a 3-1 lead behind victories from Luca Pow and Luciano Tacchi, respectively.
The Gamecocks then narrowed their deficit to one (3-2) with a win in third singles, but No. 23 Filippo Moroni and Holden Koons closed the contest with three-set thrillers at the one and five slots to secure the 5-2 win for Wake Forest.
Of note, 23rd-ranked Moroni defeated No. 50 Toby Samuel, marking his first dual singles win over a top-50 opponent this season, while Tacchi's win over No. 76 Jelani Sarr marked his first win over a top-100 opponent this season.
Additionally, No. 7 DK Suresh Ekambaram/Holden Koons improved to 6-0 in dual doubles action to open the 2024 campaign.
How It Happened
Singles Results
1. #23 Filippo Moroni (WFU) def. #50 Toby Samuel (SC) 5-7, 7-5, 6-3
2. Casey Hoole (SC) def. #49 DK Suresh Ekambaram (WFU) 6-2, 6-4
3. James Story (SC) def. Matthew Thomson (WFU) 7-6 (8-6), 6-4
4. Luciano Tacchi (WFU) def. #76 Jelani Sarr (SC) 6-4, 7-5
5. Holden Koons (WFU) def. Lucas da Silva (SC) 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2)
6. Luca Pow (WFU) def. Sean Daryabeigi (SC) 6-2, 6-2
Doubles Results
1. #7 DK Suresh Ekambaram/Holden Koons (WFU) def. Toby Samuel/Casey Hoole (SC) 6-3
2. James Story/Lucas da Silva (SC) def. Filippo Moroni/Matthew Thomson (WFU) 6-3
3. Luca Pow/Luciano Tacchi (WFU) def. Carter Morgan/Jelani Sarr (SC) 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (2,6,4,3,1,5)
From Coach Bresky
"This was a great team win. We've played a tough schedule against some of the best teams in the country, including South Carolina. It was good to get the doubles point. It started to look like it could go either way, but we closed it out strong and that momentum carried over into singles. Filo (Filippo Moroni) had a huge comeback to clinch against one of the best players in the country. He's been working hard, and I'm proud of his resolve. Now, we'll get some much-needed rest before traveling to New York for indoor nationals" - Head coach Tony Bresky
Up Next
The Demon Deacons will now travel to New York for the ITA National Team Indoor Championship (Feb. 16-19).
Follow the Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
The win marked the Demon Deacons' (7-2, 0-0 ACC) first victory over a top-five opponent since April 9, 2021. Additionally, with Thursday's result, the Deacs have now knocked off two top-10 opponents in their past three matches.
Of note, Thursday also marked Wake Forest's first win over the fourth-ranked Gamecocks (3-2, 0-0 SEC) since the 2021 campaign.
The Demon Deacons took the doubles point Thursday behind victories in the first and third slots, before carrying their momentum into singles play.
After South Carolina tied it up with a win in second singles, Wake Forest immediately took a 3-1 lead behind victories from Luca Pow and Luciano Tacchi, respectively.
The Gamecocks then narrowed their deficit to one (3-2) with a win in third singles, but No. 23 Filippo Moroni and Holden Koons closed the contest with three-set thrillers at the one and five slots to secure the 5-2 win for Wake Forest.
Of note, 23rd-ranked Moroni defeated No. 50 Toby Samuel, marking his first dual singles win over a top-50 opponent this season, while Tacchi's win over No. 76 Jelani Sarr marked his first win over a top-100 opponent this season.
Additionally, No. 7 DK Suresh Ekambaram/Holden Koons improved to 6-0 in dual doubles action to open the 2024 campaign.
How It Happened
- Wake Forest faced an early deficit in doubles play, trailing in the top two slots while leading 2-1 on court three.
- Minutes later, No. 7 DK Suresh Ekambaram/Holden Koons stormed back to take a 4-3 lead in first doubles, while Luciano Tacchi/Luca Pow increased their advantage to 4-2 on court three.
- South Carolina took a 1-0 lead in doubles action after securing a win on court two.
- No. 7 Suresh Ekambaram/Koons went on to notch a 6-3 win in first doubles over Toby Samuel/Casey Hoole to even the ledger.
- Tacchi/Pow then clinched the doubles point for Wake Forest after logging a 6-3 win in the third slot.
- The Demon Deacons held a 1-0 lead entering singles play.
- South Carolina evened the score at one apiece after registering a win on court two.
- Undaunted, the Demon Deacons earned wins on court six and court four, respectively, to take a commanding 3-1 lead.
- Luca Pow defeated Sean Daryabeigi (SC) 6-2, 6-2.
- Luciano Tacchi defeated No. 76 Jelani Sarr (SC) 6-4, 7-5.
- The Gamecocks then pulled within one (3-2) with a win on court three.
- No. 23 Filippo Moroni notched a spirited, come-from-behind win (5-7, 7-5, 6-3) in first singles over No. 50 Toby Samuel to clinch the victory for Wake Forest.
- Holden Koons then ended the contest with a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2) win on court five, to improve to 7-1 in dual singles action this spring.
- No. 9 Wake Forest defeated No. 4 South Carolina, 5-2.
Singles Results
1. #23 Filippo Moroni (WFU) def. #50 Toby Samuel (SC) 5-7, 7-5, 6-3
2. Casey Hoole (SC) def. #49 DK Suresh Ekambaram (WFU) 6-2, 6-4
3. James Story (SC) def. Matthew Thomson (WFU) 7-6 (8-6), 6-4
4. Luciano Tacchi (WFU) def. #76 Jelani Sarr (SC) 6-4, 7-5
5. Holden Koons (WFU) def. Lucas da Silva (SC) 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2)
6. Luca Pow (WFU) def. Sean Daryabeigi (SC) 6-2, 6-2
Doubles Results
1. #7 DK Suresh Ekambaram/Holden Koons (WFU) def. Toby Samuel/Casey Hoole (SC) 6-3
2. James Story/Lucas da Silva (SC) def. Filippo Moroni/Matthew Thomson (WFU) 6-3
3. Luca Pow/Luciano Tacchi (WFU) def. Carter Morgan/Jelani Sarr (SC) 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (2,6,4,3,1,5)
From Coach Bresky
"This was a great team win. We've played a tough schedule against some of the best teams in the country, including South Carolina. It was good to get the doubles point. It started to look like it could go either way, but we closed it out strong and that momentum carried over into singles. Filo (Filippo Moroni) had a huge comeback to clinch against one of the best players in the country. He's been working hard, and I'm proud of his resolve. Now, we'll get some much-needed rest before traveling to New York for indoor nationals" - Head coach Tony Bresky
Up Next
The Demon Deacons will now travel to New York for the ITA National Team Indoor Championship (Feb. 16-19).
Follow the Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,1,3
#1 Singles Match
123
576
Toby Samuel / 0 (50/-) [SC]
753
#2 Singles Match
12
24
Casey Hoole / 0 [SC]
66
#3 Singles Match
12
64
James Story / 0 [SC]
76
#4 Singles Match
12
67
Jelani Sarr / 0 (76/-) [SC]
45
#5 Singles Match
123
637
Lucas da Silva / 0 [SC]
366
#6 Singles Match
12
66
Sean Daryabeigi / 0 [SC]
22
Order of Finish:
2,6,4,3,1,5
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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