Sunday, April 6
Winston-Salem, N.C.
12 p.m.
Wake Forest University
4
vs
0
Boston College
No. 1 Wake Forest Stays Perfect with Senior Day Sweep
4/6/2025 6:19:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The Demon Deacons will close out the regular season on the road against NC State next Saturday, with the winner claiming the regular season ACC title.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C – On a day that saw seven seniors and graduate students honored for their contributions to the program, the No. 1-ranked Wake Forest men's tennis team closed out its home regular season slate with 4-0 wins over Boston College and Coastal Carolina Sunday afternoon at the Wake Forest Tennis Center.
The Demon Deacons (32-0, 12-0 ACC) took both doubles points on Sunday and have now taken 30 of the 32 available this season.
Against the Eagles, sophomore Martin Mazev and freshman Cornelius Shalmi took down Pack/Overvelde (6-3) on court three. A few moments later, senior Luciano Tacchi and graduate student Franco Capalbo clinched the point with a 6-3 win on court two over Ilie/Vassel. It marked their first-ever match together.
In the second match, Mazev/Shalmi picked up another dominant win on court three, this time over Coastal Carolina's Cruz Collardin/Cahill, 6-1, and moved to 3-0 as a pairing. Sophomore Luca Pow and junior DK Suresh Ekambaram claimed their second-ever win together and clinched the second doubles point of the day with a 6-2 win over Dixon/Gonzalez Balmaceda.
Following up his doubles win, Tacchi carried the momentum against the Eagles into singles where he quickly earned a 6-1, 6-2 win over Andrew Ilie on court two. He has now won five of his last six matches and brought his career wins total to 61, the most out of any active player in a Wake Forest uniform.
Staying perfect in his collegiate career, freshman Joaquin Guilleme cruised to a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Aidan Pack of Boston College on court five. He is now 9-0 on the year and 2-0 against conference opponents.
The Demon Deacons clinched the first match following a 6-3, 6-1 victory from Pow on court three over Jake Vassel. The Englishman also picked up a 6-0, 6-0 win over Coastal Carolina's Christopher Norlin in the second match. Pow leads the team with an outstanding 25-2 record so far this season and has extended his winning streak to 20 matches. Additionally, he is now 11-0 against ACC opponents.
Against Coastal Carolina, Suresh continued his strong run of form with a straight-set (6-1, 6-3) victory over Juan Cruz Collardin in first singles. Coming off of an ACC Player of the Week honor, he has now won four-consecutive matches to bring his record to 14-6 on the year. Additionally, Suresh is now a stellar 10-3 in first singles so far this season.
Capalbo clinched the match against the Chanticleers with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Emiliano Gonzalez Balmaceda. The Argentine is now 8-1 in singles this season. Of note, the Deacs are now a combined 111-30 in singles this campaign.
With Sunday's sweep, the Demon Deacons finished the regular season with a stellar 20-0 record at home. This ties the 2019 season for the second-most home wins in a single campaign in program history, only trailing the 2022 season (26).
Of the 20 home wins this season, 11 of them were sweeps and seven came against ranked opponents.
Wake Forest is one of just two schools that remain unbeaten in ACC play, along with NC State. The Demon Deacons will battle the Wolfpack in the regular-season finale on April 12 in Raleigh for the regular season title. Additionally, the wins on Sunday extended the program record for most-consecutive wins to open a season.
How It Happened (BC)
1. No. 7 DK Suresh Ekambaram (WFU) vs. Caleb Saltz (BC) 6(2)-7, 2-1, unfinished
2. Luciano Tacchi (WFU) def. Andrew Ilie (BC) 6-1, 6-2
3. Luca Pow (WFU) def. Jake Vassel (BC) 6-3, 6-1
4. Franco Capalbo (WFU) vs. Mai Gao (BC) 4-6, 4-0, unfinished
5. Joaquin Guilleme (WFU) def. Aidan Pack (BC) 6-1, 6-4
6. Harry Thursfield (WFU) vs. Lukas Rais (BC) 6-3, 2-3, unfinished
Order of finish: 2, 5, 3
Doubles Results (BC)
1. Suresh/Pow (WFU) vs. O'Leary/Saltz (BC) 5-4, unfinished
2. Tacchi/Capalbo (WFU) def. Ilie/Vassel (BC) 6-3
3. Mazev/Shalmi (WFU) def. Pack/Overvelde (BC) 6-3
Order of finish: 3, 2
How It Happened (Coastal Carolina)
1. No. 7 DK Suresh Ekambaram (WFU) def. Juan Cruz Collardin (CC) 6-1, 6-3
2. Luca Pow (WFU) def. Christopher Norlin (CC) 6-0, 6-0
3. Joaquin Guilleme (WFU) vs. Jack Dixon (CC) 6-1, 5-4, unfinished
4. Franco Capalbo (WFU) def. Emiliano Gonzalez Balmaceda (CC) 6-2, 6-1
5. Harry Thursfield (WFU) vs. Eric Tripathi (CC) 6-4, 1-2, unfinished
6. Dylan Chang (WFU) vs. Iannis Fernandes (CC) 7-5, 1-0, unfinished
Order of finish: 2, 1, 4
Doubles Results (Coastal Carolina)
1. Pow/Suresh (WFU) def. Dixon/Gonzalez Balmaceda (CC) 6-2
2. Capalbo/Tacchi (WFU) vs. Norlin/Fernandes (CC) 5-3, unfinished
3. Mazev/Shalmi (WFU) def. Cruz Collardin/Cahill (CC) 6-1
Order of finish: 3, 1
From Coach Bresky
"Last home regular-season match for seven or our seniors. It was emotional from that standpoint, those guys have meant so much to our program. What an unbelievable job they've done throughout their careers, and obviously this year. For us to finish off the regular season at home and go undefeated here in front of our fans, what a great way to finish. I always say that we have the best fans in the country. They're extremely loyal and passionate about our program. It would be easy for our guys to come out, and maybe not bring their best, but they brought their best today and played a couple really good matches. I'm excited to earn an opportunity to go play for an ACC regular season title next week. We've obviously done a great job to this point and I'm very hopeful that all of our loyal fans will come out and support us. It's a local trip, we're playing a great team in NC State on the road. I'm sure they'll have a great crowd, so we'd love to have our fans come out for that match and support us. It should be an amazing match and a wonderful opportunity for our program."
Next Up
The Demon Deacons will look to close out the regular season on the road against Big Four foe NC State. The winner of the match will be crowned as the ACC regular season champion, as both teams remain unbeaten in conference play.
First serve in Raleigh is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 12.
Follow the Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
The Demon Deacons (32-0, 12-0 ACC) took both doubles points on Sunday and have now taken 30 of the 32 available this season.
Against the Eagles, sophomore Martin Mazev and freshman Cornelius Shalmi took down Pack/Overvelde (6-3) on court three. A few moments later, senior Luciano Tacchi and graduate student Franco Capalbo clinched the point with a 6-3 win on court two over Ilie/Vassel. It marked their first-ever match together.
In the second match, Mazev/Shalmi picked up another dominant win on court three, this time over Coastal Carolina's Cruz Collardin/Cahill, 6-1, and moved to 3-0 as a pairing. Sophomore Luca Pow and junior DK Suresh Ekambaram claimed their second-ever win together and clinched the second doubles point of the day with a 6-2 win over Dixon/Gonzalez Balmaceda.
Following up his doubles win, Tacchi carried the momentum against the Eagles into singles where he quickly earned a 6-1, 6-2 win over Andrew Ilie on court two. He has now won five of his last six matches and brought his career wins total to 61, the most out of any active player in a Wake Forest uniform.
Staying perfect in his collegiate career, freshman Joaquin Guilleme cruised to a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Aidan Pack of Boston College on court five. He is now 9-0 on the year and 2-0 against conference opponents.
The Demon Deacons clinched the first match following a 6-3, 6-1 victory from Pow on court three over Jake Vassel. The Englishman also picked up a 6-0, 6-0 win over Coastal Carolina's Christopher Norlin in the second match. Pow leads the team with an outstanding 25-2 record so far this season and has extended his winning streak to 20 matches. Additionally, he is now 11-0 against ACC opponents.
Against Coastal Carolina, Suresh continued his strong run of form with a straight-set (6-1, 6-3) victory over Juan Cruz Collardin in first singles. Coming off of an ACC Player of the Week honor, he has now won four-consecutive matches to bring his record to 14-6 on the year. Additionally, Suresh is now a stellar 10-3 in first singles so far this season.
Capalbo clinched the match against the Chanticleers with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Emiliano Gonzalez Balmaceda. The Argentine is now 8-1 in singles this season. Of note, the Deacs are now a combined 111-30 in singles this campaign.
With Sunday's sweep, the Demon Deacons finished the regular season with a stellar 20-0 record at home. This ties the 2019 season for the second-most home wins in a single campaign in program history, only trailing the 2022 season (26).
Of the 20 home wins this season, 11 of them were sweeps and seven came against ranked opponents.
Wake Forest is one of just two schools that remain unbeaten in ACC play, along with NC State. The Demon Deacons will battle the Wolfpack in the regular-season finale on April 12 in Raleigh for the regular season title. Additionally, the wins on Sunday extended the program record for most-consecutive wins to open a season.
How It Happened (BC)
- The Demon Deacons held an early edge in doubles as Suresh and Pow went up a break on court one.
- Not long after, Capalbo and Tacchi also took a break advantage on court two as court three remained on-serve.
- The Demon Deacons then went up on all three courts as Shalmi and Mazev went up 5-3 in third doubles.
- Wake Forest took the doubles point with wins from Shalmi/Mazev (6-3) and Capalbo/Tacchi (6-3).
- In singles, Tacchi and Guilleme jumped out to early 4-1 leads on courts two and five, respectively.
- The two held on and were the first two Demon Deacons to take a set, both 6-1.
- Pow (6-3) and Thursfield (6-3) were the next to take their respective first sets.
- Boston College took the first set on courts one and four.
- On his senior day, Tacchi doubled the Deacs' advantage with a quick 6-1, 6-2 victory on court two over Ilie.
- Guilleme (6-1, 6-4) and Pow (6-3, 6-1) wrapped up dominant wins on courts five and three, respectively, and clinched Wake Forest's 31st win of the season.
- The match finished in just one hour and 45 minutes.
1. No. 7 DK Suresh Ekambaram (WFU) vs. Caleb Saltz (BC) 6(2)-7, 2-1, unfinished
2. Luciano Tacchi (WFU) def. Andrew Ilie (BC) 6-1, 6-2
3. Luca Pow (WFU) def. Jake Vassel (BC) 6-3, 6-1
4. Franco Capalbo (WFU) vs. Mai Gao (BC) 4-6, 4-0, unfinished
5. Joaquin Guilleme (WFU) def. Aidan Pack (BC) 6-1, 6-4
6. Harry Thursfield (WFU) vs. Lukas Rais (BC) 6-3, 2-3, unfinished
Order of finish: 2, 5, 3
Doubles Results (BC)
1. Suresh/Pow (WFU) vs. O'Leary/Saltz (BC) 5-4, unfinished
2. Tacchi/Capalbo (WFU) def. Ilie/Vassel (BC) 6-3
3. Mazev/Shalmi (WFU) def. Pack/Overvelde (BC) 6-3
Order of finish: 3, 2
How It Happened (Coastal Carolina)
- On the third doubles court, Mazev and Shalmi got off to a dominant start and won the first five games.
- Pow/Suresh and Tacchi/Capalbo went up breaks on courts one and two, respectively.
- The doubles point was clinched following wins from Shalmi/Mazev (6-1) and Suresh/Pow (6-2).
- In singles, Wake Forest jumped out to commanding leads on courts one, two and three.
- Suresh (6-1) and Pow (6-0) were the first two to take a set on courts one and two, respectively.
- Guilleme (6-1) and Capalbo (6-2) followed on three and four.
- Thursfield and Chang remained in early battles on five and six.
- Thursfield was the fifth Demon Deacon to take a set (6-4).
- Pow wrapped up a perfect 6-0, 6-0 victory on court two and doubled Wake Forest's advantage.
- Wake Forest took the first set on all six courts as Chang claimed his, 7-5, on court six.
- Suresh took his fourth-consecutive match with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Cruz Collardin and brought the Deacs to within one win away from finishing the home regular season slate undefeated.
- On his senior day, Capalbo secured the sweep as he downed Gonzalez Balmaceda 6-2, 6-1.
1. No. 7 DK Suresh Ekambaram (WFU) def. Juan Cruz Collardin (CC) 6-1, 6-3
2. Luca Pow (WFU) def. Christopher Norlin (CC) 6-0, 6-0
3. Joaquin Guilleme (WFU) vs. Jack Dixon (CC) 6-1, 5-4, unfinished
4. Franco Capalbo (WFU) def. Emiliano Gonzalez Balmaceda (CC) 6-2, 6-1
5. Harry Thursfield (WFU) vs. Eric Tripathi (CC) 6-4, 1-2, unfinished
6. Dylan Chang (WFU) vs. Iannis Fernandes (CC) 7-5, 1-0, unfinished
Order of finish: 2, 1, 4
Doubles Results (Coastal Carolina)
1. Pow/Suresh (WFU) def. Dixon/Gonzalez Balmaceda (CC) 6-2
2. Capalbo/Tacchi (WFU) vs. Norlin/Fernandes (CC) 5-3, unfinished
3. Mazev/Shalmi (WFU) def. Cruz Collardin/Cahill (CC) 6-1
Order of finish: 3, 1
From Coach Bresky
"Last home regular-season match for seven or our seniors. It was emotional from that standpoint, those guys have meant so much to our program. What an unbelievable job they've done throughout their careers, and obviously this year. For us to finish off the regular season at home and go undefeated here in front of our fans, what a great way to finish. I always say that we have the best fans in the country. They're extremely loyal and passionate about our program. It would be easy for our guys to come out, and maybe not bring their best, but they brought their best today and played a couple really good matches. I'm excited to earn an opportunity to go play for an ACC regular season title next week. We've obviously done a great job to this point and I'm very hopeful that all of our loyal fans will come out and support us. It's a local trip, we're playing a great team in NC State on the road. I'm sure they'll have a great crowd, so we'd love to have our fans come out for that match and support us. It should be an amazing match and a wonderful opportunity for our program."
Next Up
The Demon Deacons will look to close out the regular season on the road against Big Four foe NC State. The winner of the match will be crowned as the ACC regular season champion, as both teams remain unbeaten in conference play.
First serve in Raleigh is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 12.
Follow the Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,2
#1 Singles Match
123
Caleb Saltz / 0 [BC]
710
62UF
#2 Singles Match
12
Andrew Ilie / 0 [BC]
12
66
#3 Singles Match
12
Jake Vassel / 0 [BC]
31
66
#4 Singles Match
123
Mai Gao / 0 [BC]
600
44UF
#5 Singles Match
12
Aidan Pack / 0 [BC]
14
66
#6 Singles Match
123
Lukas Rais / 0 [BC]
330
62UF
Order of Finish:
2,5,3
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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