Top-Seeded Demon Deacons Cruise to ACC Semifinals with Win Over Duke

Friday, April 17

Cary, N.C.

10 a.m.

Wake Forest University

(9) Duke

Top-Seeded Demon Deacons Cruise to ACC Semifinals with Win Over Duke

4/17/2026 1:33:00 PM | Men's Tennis

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Wake Forest will get a rematch with Stanford tomorrow at 10 a.m. for a spot in the championship match.

By: Dylan Shackelford

CARY, N.C. – Securing the fourth sweep over Big Four opposition this season, the top-seeded and No. 7-ranked Wake Forest men's tennis team has advanced to the ACC semifinals once again following its 4-0 victory against No. 9-seed Duke Friday morning at Cary Tennis Park.

This will mark the Demon Deacons' (28-3) 10th trip to the conference semifinals in the last 11 years as they take on Stanford tomorrow at 10 a.m. The match will be streamed live on ACCNX. Wake Forest will look to avenge their lone loss in conference play to the Cardinal.

With the win, head coach Tony Bresky now sits at 398 wins during his Wake Forest tenure and will look to reach the 400 mark this weekend as he nears his 13th trophy in charge of the Demon Deacons.

Friday was the second meeting between the Deacs and Blue Devils this season, with the Deacs taking the first, 4-0, on the road as Wake Forest has now won 10 of the last 13 in the series.

Overall against Big Four opposition, head coach Tony Bresky is 36-20 (.643) for his career and swept all three in-state rivals during the regular season.

After taking all 13 doubles points in regular season conference play, Wake Forest continued its dominance with wins on courts one and two to secure the opening point. This marked the 19th-consecutive match the Deacs opened with a 1-0 lead and the 28th time this season.

Freshman Mees Rottgering and sophomore Kacper Szymkowiak continued their flawless run as a pair with a win over Long/Truwit, 6-3, on court two. The duo improved to 10-0 together this season, including a perfect 9-0 mark against ACC opposition. Their consistency has been a major factor in Wake Forest's doubles success throughout the spring.

Just moments later, the No. 2-ranked pair of Andrew Delgado and DK Suresh Ekambaram secured the opening point with a statement win over No. 13 Williams/Rodenas, 6-3, on court one. The duo improved to a perfect 11-0 together, including an unblemished 4-0 record against ranked pairs and 3-0 against top-25 opponents.

The win also marked Suresh's 96th career doubles victory, moving him further up the program's all-time list, while Delgado remained perfect on the year across both singles (6-0) and doubles (16-0) competition.

The momentum carried over to singles, as Wake Forest took all six first sets before closing it out with wins on courts one, two and six.

Joaquin Guilleme continued his outstanding spring season with a win over Saahith Jayaraman, 6-2, 6-3, on court six. The sophomore secured his team-leading 21st singles victory of the spring while improving upon an impressive 9-2 record in regular season conference play. Guilleme's dominance against ACC opponents remained on full display, playing a pivotal role in Wake Forest's lineup depth.

No. 30 Mees Rottgering delivered an impressive performance in his postseason debut, taking down No. 49 Cooper Williams, 6-2, 6-4, on court two. The freshman, a four-time ACC Freshman of the Week, improved to 13-3 on the season with the win, including a stellar 5-1 record against ranked opponents.

Notably, Rottgering remained perfect against top-50 competition, moving to 3-0 and continuing his standout first collegiate campaign.

Senior DK Suresh Ekambaram, the No. 30 player in the country, picked up a ranked win on court one, defeating No. 36 Pedro Rodenas in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4. The victory marked his sixth win of the spring campaign and his third against ranked opposition, as he continued to anchor Wake Forest at the top of the lineup. With the result, Suresh also extended his strong form with his third-consecutive singles win at a crucial point in the season.

Path to an ACC Championship

Friday, April 17 - Quarterfinals
- (1) Wake Forest def. (9) Duke, 4-0
Saturday, April 18 - Semifinals
- 10 a.m. - (1) Wake Forest vs. (4) Stanford
Sunday, April 19 - Championship
- 10 a.m. - (1) Wake Forest* vs. TBD

*If Wake Forest advances

2026 ACC Men's Tennis Tournament
One-day tickets are priced at $15 for adults (ages 18 and older) and $10 for children ages 17 and under and non-ACC college students with a valid school ID. Admission is free for children 8 and under and ACC college students with a school ID. A full championship pass for all six days is priced at $30. Tickets may be purchased online here.

How It Happened

In doubles, Rottgering and Szymkowiak stayed hot and jumped out to a 3-0 lead on court two, while court one remained on serve early.
- The Blue Devils held an early advantage on court three.
Twenty minutes in, the Deacs had built 4-1 leads on both courts one and two, while Pow and Shah battled back to take a 3-2 lead on court three.
Rottgering and Szymkowiak secured a 6-3 win on court two to put Wake Forest on the board.
Delgado and Suresh followed with a 6-3 win on court one to clinch the doubles point for the Deacs.
Courts one, four and five remained even early into singles play, while Rottgering (5-2), Pow (4-1) and Guilleme (5-2) each created separation in their opening sets.
Rottgering and Guilleme each claimed 6-2 first-set victories on their respective courts.
Suresh (6-3), Pow (6-3), Robertson (6-4) and Shah (6-4) all picked up first sets as Wake Forest swept all six opening frames.
Guilleme was first off the court with a straight-set win, giving Wake Forest a 2-0 lead.
Rottgering followed with a straight-set victory to extend the lead to 3-0.
Suresh clinched the match with a straight-set win on court one.

Singles Results
1. #30 DK Suresh Ekambaram (WFU) def. #36 Pedro Rodenas (Duke) 6-3, 6-4
2. #60 Mees Rottgering (WFU) def. #49 Cooper Williams (Duke) 6-2, 6-4
3. #29 Luca Pow (WFU) vs. Gerard Planelles Ripoll (Duke) 6-2, 4-3, unfinished
4. Charlie Robertson (WFU) vs. Alexander Visser (Duke) 6-4, 1-5, unfinished
5. #108 Aryan Shah (WFU) vs. Dylan Long (Duke) 6-4, 4-4, unfinished
6. Joaquin Guilleme (WFU) def. Saahith Jayaraman (Duke) 6-2, 6-3
Order of finish: 6, 2, 1

Doubles Results
1. #2 Delgado/Suresh (WFU) def. #13 Williams/Rodenas (Duke) 6-3
2. Rottgering/Szymkowiak (WFU) def. Long/Truwit (Duke) 6-3
3. Pow/Shah (WFU) vs. Planelles Ripoll/Visser (Duke) 5-4, unfinished
Order of finish: 2, 1

From Coach Bresky
"Really proud of the way the guys came out focused and took care of business from the start. Doubles set the tone again, and we carried that momentum into singles with a lot of discipline across the lineup. Duke is always a tough match, so to get through 4-0 and keep building toward our goals this weekend is a great step. We are looking forward to a great match against Stanford in the semifinals tomorrow morning." – Head coach Tony Bresky

Up Next
Wake Forest will return to the courts tomorrow morning for a semifinal clash against Stanford at 10 a.m. Stay tuned to GoDeacs.com and Wake Forest Men's Tennis social accounts for updates.