Deacs Earn Way into NCAA Doubles Championships’ Round of 16
5/21/2024 9:28:00 PM | Men's Tennis
DK Suresh Ekambaram and Holden Koons dominated on the courts during Tuesday night.
STILLWATER, Okla. – Full days of action has continued for the 2024 NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships, as Wake Forest men's tennis competed in both singles and doubles throughout Tuesday (May 21). DK Suresh Ekambaram/Holden Koons, currently ranked the No. 2 doubles team in the nation, showcased their usual impressive play in a first-round victory. In singles, senior Filippo Moroni again put up a noteworthy performance but saw his time in Stillwater come to an end, following a Round of 32 loss.
Moroni Battles Through Three Sets, Falls Just Short in Round of 32
Filippo Moroni had his second showing of the week during the mid-afternoon portion of the day, battling Shunsuke Mitsui – a junior from the University of Tennessee. The two players went back and forth in what became an attention-grabbing matchup before Moroni suffered a three-set defeat.
After falling short in his first four games, Moroni won two of his next three within set one. He ultimately lost the opening frame, 6-2. The senior was able to tie the second set at 2-2 early on, before forcing another even score and eventually grabbing a 4-3 advantage. Seeing yet another tie at 5-all, Moroni hung on to create a tiebreaker and finish victoriously (7-6 (1)) in set two.
The third set began in a likewise fashion compared to the second, even at 2-2 on the board. Mitsui was able to step in front with two consecutive games won, 4-2, before Moroni tied the ledger. Two final games were secured by Mitsui, winning the match in three frames.
2024 NCAA Championships, Singles – Round of 32
No. 25 Filippo Moroni (WF) vs. No. 37 Shunsuke Mitsui (TENN) def. No. 25 Filippo Moroni (WF) 2-6, 7-6 (1), 4-6
Filippo Moroni 2023-24 Highlights
Ekambaram/Koons Show Out For First Day of Doubles
Hitting the courts for the night slate, DK Suresh Ekambaram and Holden Koons only let up three total games during a two-set win over Michigan State's Ozan Baris/Max Sheldon.
The pair will next face the University of Texas duo Eliot Spizzirri/Cleeve Harper, as Ekambaram/Koons now stand as the first Wake Forest doubles tandem to reach the Round of 16 since Siddhant Banthia/Jakob Schnaitter in 2022.
Ekambaram/Koons found some control from the get-go, piecing a 3-1 start in their first set. The same story continued through the next few games, as the Deacs remained untouched en route to a 6-1 decision in the opening period.
Underway within the second set, three of the first four games were again grabbed by Ekambaram and Koons. Strong serves by the former resulted in a 5-1 gain. Michigan State was able to snag one more game, but the Deacons ultimately cruised into the straight-sets victory on a 6-2 finish.
2024 NCAA Championships, Doubles – Round of 32
No. 2 DK Suresh Ekambaram/Holden Koons (WF) def. No. 18 Ozan Baris/Max Sheldon (MSU) 6-1, 6-2
DK Suresh Ekambaram/Holden Koons Top Spring 2024 Performances
Up Next
Ekambaram/Koons will make a quick turnaround for more doubles competition on Wednesday (May 22). Match times will be released at a later point.
Doubles
No. 2 DK Suresh Ekambaram/Holden Koons
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Moroni Battles Through Three Sets, Falls Just Short in Round of 32
Filippo Moroni had his second showing of the week during the mid-afternoon portion of the day, battling Shunsuke Mitsui – a junior from the University of Tennessee. The two players went back and forth in what became an attention-grabbing matchup before Moroni suffered a three-set defeat.
After falling short in his first four games, Moroni won two of his next three within set one. He ultimately lost the opening frame, 6-2. The senior was able to tie the second set at 2-2 early on, before forcing another even score and eventually grabbing a 4-3 advantage. Seeing yet another tie at 5-all, Moroni hung on to create a tiebreaker and finish victoriously (7-6 (1)) in set two.
The third set began in a likewise fashion compared to the second, even at 2-2 on the board. Mitsui was able to step in front with two consecutive games won, 4-2, before Moroni tied the ledger. Two final games were secured by Mitsui, winning the match in three frames.
2024 NCAA Championships, Singles – Round of 32
No. 25 Filippo Moroni (WF) vs. No. 37 Shunsuke Mitsui (TENN) def. No. 25 Filippo Moroni (WF) 2-6, 7-6 (1), 4-6
Filippo Moroni 2023-24 Highlights
- Through the school year's entirety, Moroni pieced together a 22-20 combined record in singles.
- During the spring season, the Valenza, Italy, native collected 10 solo wins en route to landing a spot on the All-ACC Second Team.
- It became his second all-conference career honor.
- He played 20 matches at the No. 1 solo spot throughout dual play while securing six wins over nationally-ranked foes – a mark that ranked second-best on the Wake Forest roster.
- Feb. 8 – def. No. 50 Toby Samuel (No. 4 South Carolina) 5-7, 7-5, 6-3
- Feb. 26 – def. No. 54 Thomas Paulsell (No. 40 Georgia) 6-4, 6-4
- March 16 – def. No. 84 Zsombor Velcz (No. 19 Baylor) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
- April 5 – def. No. 2 Antoine Cornut-Chauvinc (No. 15 Florida State) 6-4, 7-6 (6)
- April 19 – def. No. 11 Andres Martin (No. 29 Georgia Tech) 6-3, 6-2
- May 4 – def. No. 11 Murphy Cassone (No. 21 Arizona State) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
- Moroni spent the entire season ranked in the ITA as an individual, standing as high as 7th and finishing dual play in the top 25.
- The senior also performed well in doubles, going 17-12 overall for the spring and primarily partnering with Matthew Thomson at the Deacs' No. 2 position.
- The duo notched three ranked wins and won 15 completed matches together.
| ITA Ranking (Singles) | 2023-24 Singles Record (Fall & Spring) |
Versus Nationally-Ranked Foes (Spring) |
| 25 | 22-20 | 7-14 |
Ekambaram/Koons Show Out For First Day of Doubles
Hitting the courts for the night slate, DK Suresh Ekambaram and Holden Koons only let up three total games during a two-set win over Michigan State's Ozan Baris/Max Sheldon.
The pair will next face the University of Texas duo Eliot Spizzirri/Cleeve Harper, as Ekambaram/Koons now stand as the first Wake Forest doubles tandem to reach the Round of 16 since Siddhant Banthia/Jakob Schnaitter in 2022.
Ekambaram/Koons found some control from the get-go, piecing a 3-1 start in their first set. The same story continued through the next few games, as the Deacs remained untouched en route to a 6-1 decision in the opening period.
Underway within the second set, three of the first four games were again grabbed by Ekambaram and Koons. Strong serves by the former resulted in a 5-1 gain. Michigan State was able to snag one more game, but the Deacons ultimately cruised into the straight-sets victory on a 6-2 finish.
2024 NCAA Championships, Doubles – Round of 32
No. 2 DK Suresh Ekambaram/Holden Koons (WF) def. No. 18 Ozan Baris/Max Sheldon (MSU) 6-1, 6-2
DK Suresh Ekambaram/Holden Koons Top Spring 2024 Performances
- May 21 – def. No. 18 Ozan Baris/Max Sheldon (No. 22 Michigan State) 6-1, 6-2
- Feb. 17 – def. No. 6 Colton Smith/Jay Friend (No. 14 Arizona) 7-6 (9)
- Feb. 18 – def. No. 8 Sebastian Gorzny/Pedro Vives (No. 2 TCU) 6-3
- March 22 – def. No. 9 Etienne Donnet/Natan Rodrigues (No. 35 Louisville) 6-1
- March 24 – def. No. 13 Sebastian Dominko/Jean-Marc Malkowski (Notre Dame) 6-3
- March 29 – def. No. 10 Juan Jose Bianchi/Jake Vassel (Boston College) 6-4
| ITA Ranking (Doubles) | Spring 2024 Doubles Record | Versus Nationally-Ranked Foes |
| 2 | 25-4 | 14-3 |
Up Next
Ekambaram/Koons will make a quick turnaround for more doubles competition on Wednesday (May 22). Match times will be released at a later point.
Doubles
No. 2 DK Suresh Ekambaram/Holden Koons
- Versus No. 24 Eliot Spizzirri/Cleeve Harper (Texas) – Round of 16
- Wednesday, May 22 at TBA
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