Demon Deacons Knock Off Stanford, 4-1, to Reach NCAA Quarterfinals

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The No. 6-seeded Wake Forest men's tennis team punched its ticket to the NCAA Quarterfinals, defeating Stanford, 4-1, Friday evening at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex.

With the victory, the Demon Deacons (30-6, 10-2 ACC) reached the Elite Eight for the fourth time in program history and the first time since 2019.

NCAA Elite Eight Appearances
2017, 2018, 2019, 2024

For the third-consecutive match, the Deacs took a 1-0 lead after clinching the doubles point. Despite Stanford winning the first set on four courts, Wake Forest extended its advantage to 3-0 behind wins from No. 79 DK Suresh Ekambaram and Luca Pow.

Of note, Suresh Ekambaram defeated No. 55 Samir Banerjee in three sets, marking his 10th victory over a ranked foe this season. Additionally, Pow's win marked his 18th-straight.

Stanford narrowed its deficit, taking first singles, but the Demon Deacons immediately responded with a victory on court four to clinch the match, 4-1.

How It Happened

Wake Forest got off to a strong start, going up a break in first and third doubles.
- Stanford took a commanding 4-1 lead in second doubles.
After the Cardinal earned a 6-1 victory in second doubles, the Demon Deacons immediately responded, taking first and third to take a 1-0 lead.
- The Deacs have won the doubles point in each of their three NCAA Tournament matches.
Wake Forest presented its usual singles lineup.
- 1) No. 25 Filippo Moroni
- 2) No. 79 DK Suresh Ekambaram
- 3) Matthew Thomson
- 4) No. 124 Luciano Tacchi
- 5) Luca Pow
- 6) Holden Koons
Stanford won the first set on four courts to open singles play.
Luca Pow gave the Demon Deacons a 2-0 lead, knocking off Neel Rajesh (7-5, 6-2).
- Pow has now won 18-consecutive dual singles matches.
Despite dropping the first set, No. 79 DK Suresh Ekambaram stormed back to down No. 55 Samir Banerjee (2-6, 6-1, 6-4).
Stanford notched its first point of the match with a win on court one.
- The Deacs held a 3-1 lead with three courts left undecided.
No. 124 Luciano Tacchi clinched the victory, defeating Kyle Kang (7-5, 7-5).
Wake Forest knocked off Stanford, 4-1, to advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals.

Singles Results
1. #16 Nishesh Basavareddy (STAN) def. #25 Filippo Moroni (WFU) 7-5, 6-3
2. #79 DK Suresh Ekambaram (WFU) def. #55 Samir Banerjee (STAN) 2-6, 6-1, 6-4
3. Matthew Thomson (WFU) vs. Max Basing (STAN) 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 1-2, unfinished
4. #124 Luciano Tacchi (WFU) def. Kyle Kang (STAN) 7-5, 7-5
5. Luca Pow (WFU) def. Neel Rajesh (STAN) 7-5, 6-2
6. Holden Koons (WFU) vs. Nico Godsick (STAN) 4-6, 7-5, 0-1, unfinished

Doubles Results
1. #2 DK Suresh Ekambaram/Holden Koons (WFU) def. #62 Nico Godsick/Max Basing (STAN) 6-4
2. #85 Nishesh Basavareddy/Samir Banerjee (STAN) def. Filippo Moroni/Matthew Thomson (WFU) 6-1
3. Luciano Tacchi/Luca Pow (WFU) def. Kyle Kang/Neel Rajesh (STAN) 6-3

Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (5,2,1,4)

From Coach Bresky
"I'm thrilled for the guys – they deserve it. We have some serious warriors. They've worked incredibly hard, and they deserved to advance. Stanford has an amazing team, so we knew it would be a tough battle. They have some of the best players in college tennis. We were fortunate to be at home. We have the best fans in college tennis – they were unbelievable today. There was an hour and a half rain delay, but we still felt like we had 5,000 fans. Tonight was so much fun for the guys. Overall, we're happy to move on. This is a long tournament and these matches are tough, but we were prepared for it. We'll enjoy it now and get refocused for the next round." - Head coach Tony Bresky

Up Next
The Demon Deacons will now travel to Stillwater, Okla., for the NCAA Quarterfinals.

Follow the Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Demon Deacons Knock Off Stanford, 4-1, to Reach NCAA Quarterfinals

Next Event

Team Stats

Players Mentioned

Holden Koons

Filippo Moroni

Luca Pow

DK Suresh Ekambaram

Luciano Tacchi

Matthew Thomson

Wake Forest Athletics