Suresh, Pow Continue to Stun at 2024 Winston-Salem Open
8/21/2024 5:18:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The Demon Deacon duo advanced to the semifinals of the doubles draw and will be back in action Friday at the Wake Forest Tennis Center.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Just a few months removed from helping the Wake Forest men's tennis team advance to the NCAA semifinals, junior DK Suresh Ekambaram and sophomore Luca Pow have made noise at the 2024 Winston-Salem Open, as they have qualified for the semifinals of the doubles draw.
Playing in a familiar site at the Wake Forest Tennis Center, the duo took down the No. 6-seeded pairing of Ariel Behar and Andres Molteni on Monday afternoon in the round of 16. After winning the first set, 6-4, Pow and Suresh were forced into a tiebreak by the South American duo as they took the second set, 7-5.
The Wake Forest boys prevailed in a hard-fought battle at the end and won the tiebreak against the veterans, 10-8, to advance to the quarterfinals.
It was deja vu in the quarterfinals Wednesday afternoon, as Suresh and Pow breezed through the first set against Gonzalo Escobar and Aleksander Nedovyesov, 6-1, before once again being forced into a tiebreak as the opponents took the second set, 6-4.
The pair qualified for the semifinals in their first ATP doubles event and took down Escobar/Nedovyesov, 10-8, in the tiebreak and continued the spectacular run.
They will be back in action Friday as they take on either No. 7-seed Matos/Melo or No. 4-seed Withrow/Lammons.
Despite only playing together once for Wake Forest during the 2023-2024 season, both Suresh and Pow had plenty of doubles success in their inaugural campaigns with the Deacs.
Suresh, who primarily played with graduate student Holden Koons, was an ITA Doubles All-American with a record of 24-4, including a 9-1 clip against ACC opponents. Pow spent a majority of the season with Luciano Tacchi as they put together a stellar 20-6 season together.
Individually, Suresh, who entered the week ranked No. 1089 in the world, defeated No. 332-ranked Alexey Zakharov in the first qualifying round in straight sets, 7-6, 6-2 in his ATP debut. Suresh recorded 14 aces against the Russian as he recorded one of the biggest upsets in the tournament. He saved two break points at 5-5 in the first set and was down a mini-break at 5-4 in the tiebreak, but came up clutch in both instances to secure the victory.
Additionally, Wake Forest tennis alum Skander Mansouri also advanced to the quarterfinals of the doubles draw with partner Nicolas Barrientos. The two outlasted Neal Skupski and Michael Venus in the round of 16 on Tuesday (4-6, 6-3, [10-7]). His quarterfinal match will take place against the winner of Murray/Peers and Pavlasek/Dodig on Thursday.
DK Suresh Results
In 2011, at what was formerly a parking lot adjacent to a football stadium, the Winston-Salem Open emerged. Now, it stands as an award-winning, international tennis event providing fans and players with a world-class experience in the heart of North Carolina. The event serves as the final ATP Tour stop prior to the US Open.
Follow the Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Playing in a familiar site at the Wake Forest Tennis Center, the duo took down the No. 6-seeded pairing of Ariel Behar and Andres Molteni on Monday afternoon in the round of 16. After winning the first set, 6-4, Pow and Suresh were forced into a tiebreak by the South American duo as they took the second set, 7-5.
The Wake Forest boys prevailed in a hard-fought battle at the end and won the tiebreak against the veterans, 10-8, to advance to the quarterfinals.
It was deja vu in the quarterfinals Wednesday afternoon, as Suresh and Pow breezed through the first set against Gonzalo Escobar and Aleksander Nedovyesov, 6-1, before once again being forced into a tiebreak as the opponents took the second set, 6-4.
The pair qualified for the semifinals in their first ATP doubles event and took down Escobar/Nedovyesov, 10-8, in the tiebreak and continued the spectacular run.
They will be back in action Friday as they take on either No. 7-seed Matos/Melo or No. 4-seed Withrow/Lammons.
Despite only playing together once for Wake Forest during the 2023-2024 season, both Suresh and Pow had plenty of doubles success in their inaugural campaigns with the Deacs.
Suresh, who primarily played with graduate student Holden Koons, was an ITA Doubles All-American with a record of 24-4, including a 9-1 clip against ACC opponents. Pow spent a majority of the season with Luciano Tacchi as they put together a stellar 20-6 season together.
Individually, Suresh, who entered the week ranked No. 1089 in the world, defeated No. 332-ranked Alexey Zakharov in the first qualifying round in straight sets, 7-6, 6-2 in his ATP debut. Suresh recorded 14 aces against the Russian as he recorded one of the biggest upsets in the tournament. He saved two break points at 5-5 in the first set and was down a mini-break at 5-4 in the tiebreak, but came up clutch in both instances to secure the victory.
Additionally, Wake Forest tennis alum Skander Mansouri also advanced to the quarterfinals of the doubles draw with partner Nicolas Barrientos. The two outlasted Neal Skupski and Michael Venus in the round of 16 on Tuesday (4-6, 6-3, [10-7]). His quarterfinal match will take place against the winner of Murray/Peers and Pavlasek/Dodig on Thursday.
DK Suresh Results
- Singles
- First Qualifying Round: Won vs. #332 Alexey Zakharov (7-6, 6-2)
- Second Qualifying Round: Loss vs. #230 Learner Tien (6-3, 6-4)
- Doubles
- Round of 16: Won vs. No. 6-seeded Behar/Molteni (6-4, 5-7, [10-8])
- Quarterfinals: Won vs. Escobar/Nedovyesov (6-1, 4-6, [10-8])
- Semifinals: Friday vs. TBD
- Singles
- First Qualifying Round: Loss vs. #160 Tristan Schoolkate (6-0, 6-1)
- Doubles
- Round of 16: Won vs. No. 6-seeded Behar/Molteni (6-4, 5-7, [10-8])
- Quarterfinals: Won vs. Escobar/Nedovyesov (6-1, 4-6, [10-8])
- Semifinals: Friday vs. TBD
- Singles
- First Qualifying Round: Loss vs. #298 Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (7-6, 4-6, 7-6)
- Doubles
- Round of 16: Win vs. Skupski/Venus (4-6, 6-3, [10-7])
- Quarterfinals: Thursday vs. TBD
In 2011, at what was formerly a parking lot adjacent to a football stadium, the Winston-Salem Open emerged. Now, it stands as an award-winning, international tennis event providing fans and players with a world-class experience in the heart of North Carolina. The event serves as the final ATP Tour stop prior to the US Open.
Follow the Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Players Mentioned
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