Wake Forest Unable to Close Out Syracuse

Friday, March 27

Winston-Salem, N.C.

4 P.M.

Wake Forest University

Syracuse

3/27/2026 8:18:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Box Score

The Demon Deacons fall, 4-3, in the first match of their homestand.

By: Joseph Baker

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest women's tennis (9-10, 1-6 ACC) dropped a heartbreaker to Syracuse (6-8, 2-5 ACC) Friday evening. The Demon Deacons got out to a commanding 3-1 lead, but were unable to close the Orange out in singles. A doubles session victory and singles wins from Sankavi Gownder and Nevena Carton put the Deacs on the doorstep, but Syracuse's late resilience denied the Deacs their second ACC win. The Old Gold & Black will have an opportunity to bounce back on Sunday against Boston College (8-9, 0-7 ACC).

Wake Forest got off to a great start in doubles. After falling behind two games to none, Krystal Blanch and Aubrey Nisbet's dominant play at the net fueled their comeback over Constance Levivier and Leena Bennetto. Their 6-2 win gave the Deacs the early advantage. Minutes later, Syracuse would respond, as Serafima Shastova and Monika Wojcik used a strong start to down Evie Oxford and Gownder, 6-3, in second doubles.

Similarly to third doubles, Carton and Kady Tannenbaum fought back from an early deficit on court one. The Deacs' top duo fought off a pair of match points to level it at 5-5, then won the next two games to give the Deacs the first point of the match.

Syracuse's Shastova leveled the match at one, defeating Blanch, 6-2, 6-0 in second singles. The tie lasted mere minutes, however, as the Deacs quickly jumped back in front thanks to Gownder. The junior produced yet another dominant singles victory, downing Emma Scaldalai, 6-0, 6-1 on court six. With the win, Gownder improved to 12-1 on the season.

Carton continued her hot streak, defeating Sysoeva, 7-6, 6-3, to put the Deacs up 3-1. It was her third consecutive win in first singles. Syracuse wouldn't go away, though, as Nelly Knezkova beat Oxford in three sets. It was Oxford's first loss since the season opener at Tennessee back in November.

Doubles Results

Nevena Carton/Kady Tannenbaum (WFU) def. No. 79 Nelly Knezkova/Anastasia Sysoeva (SU), 7-5
Serafima Shastova/Monika Wojcik (SU) def. Sankavi Gownder/Evie Oxford (WFU), 6-3
Krystal Blanch/Aubrey Nisbet (WFU) def. Constance Levivier/Leena Bennetto (SU), 6-2

Order of finish: 3, 2, 1

Singles Results

Nevena Carton (WFU) def. Anastasia Sysoeva (SU), 7-6, 6-3
Serafima Shastova (SU) def. Krystal Blanch (WFU), 6-2, 6-0
Nelly Knezkova (SU) def. Evie Oxford (WFU), 6-4, 1-6, 6-1
Monika Wojcik (SU) def. Heidi Bulger (WFU), 4-6, 7-6, 6-3
Leena Bennetto (SU) def. Kady Tannenbaum (WFU), 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
Sankavi Gownder (WFU) def. Emma Scaldalai (SU), 6-0, 6-1

Order of finish: 2, 6, 1, 3, 5, 4

How It Happened

Blanch and Nisbet won six straight games after falling behind 2-0 to win the first doubles match of the day.
Shastova/Wojcik decisively downed Oxford/Gownder to level the doubles session.
Carton and Tannenbaum came back to extend and eventually win their match over No. 79 Knezkova/Sysoeva.
- Wake Forest leads, 1-0.
Shastova made quick work of Blanch in singles to level the score at 1-1.
Gownder won her 12th match of the season, beating Scaldalai in straight sets to put the Deacs back in front.
Carton picked up her third consecutive victory to give the Deacs a commanding 3-1 lead.
Syracuse's comeback began with a win from Knezkova, who beat Oxford in three sets.
Bennetto defeated Tannenbaum in fifth singles to even the match as 3-3.
Wojcik came from behind to beat Bulger, completing the Orange comeback.
- Syracuse wins, 4-3.

From Coach Wyshner
"Credit to Syracuse, they really stepped up in those final three matches and won those third sets. This should definitely be a learning experience for the two sophomores and a freshman in that situation. We won one just like this last week, and this time, we just couldn't get that final point. Right now, we're going to play a lot of teams 4-3 or 3-4. Hopefully the experience of playing close ones will help us get better and grow tougher."

Up Next
The Demon Deacons are back in action on Sunday, March 29, as they will take on Boston College (8-9, 0-7 ACC) here at home. The Deacs will search for that elusive second ACC win against the struggling Eagles. First serve is set for noon.