Wake Forest Athletics
Wednesday, April 15
Cary, N.C.
3:30 P.M.
Wake Forest University
vs
(13) Syracuse
Wake Forest Begins ACC Championships with Wednesday Match Against Syracuse
4/14/2026 12:07:00 PM | Women's Tennis
The Demon Deacons will look to avenge their regular season loss to the Orange in Cary.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The postseason has arrived, and the first opponent in Wake Forest's (12-12, 4-8 ACC) path is the Syracuse Orange (7-12, 3-9 ACC) in the 2026 ACC Championships. Wake Forest received the 12 seed in the ACC, while Syracuse finished a match back of the Deacs in 13th. First serve is set for 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Cary Tennis Park. The winner of the match will play 5-seed Miami on Thursday.
This isn't the first time these programs have met this season; Syracuse eked out a 4-3 win on March 27 in Winston-Salem. Despite the result, Nevena Carton was terrific in that match. She, alongside partner Kady Tannenbaum, defeated Syracuse's nationally-ranked top doubles team before beating the Orange's No. 1 singles player in straight sets. Despite the head-to-head loss, the Deacs finished a spot above the Orange in the final ACC standings.
The winner of Wednesday's match will advance to play the Miami Hurricanes (13-6, 8-4 ACC) on Thursday afternoon. Miami received a bye after earning the 5 seed.
In the Record Books
Junior Sankavi Gownder became the first Wake Forest player in 26 years to have a perfect ACC dual match singles record (6-0) with at least five ACC matches played to completion. Her .938 win percentage (15-1) in dual-match singles is the second best in school history (minimum 10 matches). Only Bea Bielik's .946 win percentage in 2002 ranks higher; Bielik won the NCAA Singles Championship that season.
Back in the Rankings
Carton is now ranked in singles and doubles nationally. The ITA has Carton and partner Tannenbaum ranked No. 66 nationally in doubles. The duo finished the regular season 7-5 in ACC play with four ranked wins. In singles, she comes in at No. 104. The Deacs' No. 1 singles option finished the spring season 9-8 with a pair of ranked victories.
Series History & Match Info
For the Fans
For any Demon Deacon fans wanting to make the trip to Cary to watch the Deacs, you can buy tickets here. To watch the tournament from home, matches will be streamed live here.
Up Next
Should Wake Forest win, it would remain in Cary to face Miami on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. A loss would eliminate the Deacs from the tournament.
This isn't the first time these programs have met this season; Syracuse eked out a 4-3 win on March 27 in Winston-Salem. Despite the result, Nevena Carton was terrific in that match. She, alongside partner Kady Tannenbaum, defeated Syracuse's nationally-ranked top doubles team before beating the Orange's No. 1 singles player in straight sets. Despite the head-to-head loss, the Deacs finished a spot above the Orange in the final ACC standings.
The winner of Wednesday's match will advance to play the Miami Hurricanes (13-6, 8-4 ACC) on Thursday afternoon. Miami received a bye after earning the 5 seed.
In the Record Books
Junior Sankavi Gownder became the first Wake Forest player in 26 years to have a perfect ACC dual match singles record (6-0) with at least five ACC matches played to completion. Her .938 win percentage (15-1) in dual-match singles is the second best in school history (minimum 10 matches). Only Bea Bielik's .946 win percentage in 2002 ranks higher; Bielik won the NCAA Singles Championship that season.
Back in the Rankings
Carton is now ranked in singles and doubles nationally. The ITA has Carton and partner Tannenbaum ranked No. 66 nationally in doubles. The duo finished the regular season 7-5 in ACC play with four ranked wins. In singles, she comes in at No. 104. The Deacs' No. 1 singles option finished the spring season 9-8 with a pair of ranked victories.
Series History & Match Info
- Wake Forest leads all-time series, 13-5
- Last meeting: 2026, 4-3 loss (home)
- Current streak: Syracuse W1
For the Fans
For any Demon Deacon fans wanting to make the trip to Cary to watch the Deacs, you can buy tickets here. To watch the tournament from home, matches will be streamed live here.
Up Next
Should Wake Forest win, it would remain in Cary to face Miami on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. A loss would eliminate the Deacs from the tournament.
Players Mentioned
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