Wake Forest Tennis Conquers the Super Regional, Punching its Ticket to Athens
The Wake Forest men's tennis squad appears to be peaking at the right time. The Deacs have now earned a spot in Athens to be one of the final eight teams competing for the title. On Friday night, the Deacs downed the UCF Knights from the Big 12 to punch their ticket in front of the home fans.
This marks the third consecutive season the Deacs have advanced to the national quarterfinals, and the fourth time in the past five seasons. Wake had the longest home winning streak in the nation going into this match, and they extended it. They have won 49 straight matches in Deactown and have been perfect at home the past two seasons. Let's go through the highlights from the match.
Starting with a 1-0 lead for the 25th consecutive match 💪 pic.twitter.com/OwsUNP5Bsh
— Wake Forest Men's Tennis (@WakeMTennis) May 8, 2026
Knocking the Knights
As has been true with almost every match this season, the Deacs grabbed early momentum in doubles. On court three, Luca Pow and Aryan Shah won by a flawless 6-0 margin. The other two courts were held even at 2-2 and 3-3 respectively, but it was Mees Rottgering and Kacper Szymkowiak who grabbed a huge break and went on to win 6-2 on court two to take the doubles point.
Freshman Aryan Shah continued his positive momentum from doubles, quickly winning his first singles set 6-0. Luca Pow was not far behind, winning his opening singles set 6-2. Mees Rottgering gave the Deacs a third opening set win, and they could feel it. Shah finished on court five first, winning 6-0, 6-3 to put Wake up 2-0.
Rottgering was the next one to claim victory in singles. The standout freshman cruised in the second set to win 6-4, 6-1 on court two. This put the Deacs just one point away from winning the Super Regional. UCF fought back, claiming victory on court one, but then junior Luca Pow closed the door. He won 6-2, 6-3 on court three to give Wake Forest the big victory.
There’s no reining him in 🔥 pic.twitter.com/XRY9SYp8PH
— Wake Forest Men's Tennis (@WakeMTennis) May 8, 2026
Perfect in Supers
With the win, Wake Forest men's tennis moved to 4-0 all-time when hosting an NCAA Tournament Super Regional. They had wins in 2019, 2024, and 2025 before Friday night's victory.
What's Next?
As already mentioned, the Deacs now advance to Athens, Georgia, as one of the final eight teams competing for the title. They will face the winner of the matchup between the #8-seeded Arizona Wildcats and the #9-seeded Oklahoma Sooners, which will take place on Saturday. They will play the victor on May 14. With wins, they would move to the semis on May 16 and the national championship on May 17.
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Justin is a student at Wake Forest University. He is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and aspiring finance major interested everything sports. In his freshman year, Justin completed an internship with the Wake Forest Ticketing Department where he gained some valuable insight into the sales and operations aspects of collegiate athletics. Before working with Wake Forest On SI, Justin was a contributing writer for Wake Forest’s student publication The Old Gold and Black. Currently, Justin serves as a student manager on the Wake Forest Men’s Tennis team. In his free time Justin enjoys spending time with his family and friends on the golf course and traveling.