Wake Forest Tennis Passes First Test of ACC Play with Flying Colors
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's tennis team got into the swing of ACC action this weekend in front of the home crowd. Friday's match was moved indoors due to inclement weather. This made the atmosphere even better as the Deacs battled the Clemson Tigers.
On Sunday, the weather finally cleared up, and the sunshine provided a great day for some outdoor tennis. The Deacs were in double-header action against Georgia Tech and SC State. Let's take you through some of the highlights.
Taming the Tigers
The first challenge of the weekend saw the Deacs go head-to-head with the #28-ranked Clemson Tigers.
The doubles action was tight almost the whole way as both teams battled back and forth. The Wake team of Kacper Szymkowiak and Mees Rottgering struck first. They captured a break to go up 3-1. They were the first to finish, winning 6-4 to put the Deacs one step closer to the doubles point.
The British duo of Luca Pow and Charlie Robertson clinched the doubles point of Wake Forest by winning on court three against a ranked Clemson duo.
In the singles action, all Deacs started hot, but junior Luca Pow led the way. He was the first to put a set victory on the board at 6-1. He was also the first singles player to put a point on the board, winning 6-1, 6-4 in court three, and making the score 2-0.
He was followed by commanding wins on courts five and six to clinch the match for Wake Forest. Dominick Mosejczuk kept us undefeated spring alive, winning 6-2, 6-4 at sixth singles. Joaquin Guilleme clinched the match on court five, winning 6-3, 6-3 to complete the 4-0 victory.
Bee Sting
Going outdoors did not take anything away from Wake's momentum on Sunday. They continued their solid play against the #43 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
The match started with the Deacs attacking the doubles point. The duo of Aryan Shah and Dominick Mosejczuk got things started with a commanding 6-1 victory, which included rattling off four straight games.
The pair of Kacper Szymkowiak and Mees Rottgering clinched the doubles point with a 6-3 victory on court two. This newly formed pair won their doubles matches in both ACC tests this weekend, setting up which should be a solid two-man team that the Deacs can lean on going forward.
In singles, Luca Pow, Andrew Delgado, and Joaquin Guilleme all grabbed at least a 3-0 lead in their first sets. Luca Pow won 6-1, 6-2 to up the Deacs' advantage to 2-0. Andrew Delgado followed, winning by the same 6-1, 6-2 score on court six for a nice singles victory.
For the second consecutive time, Joaquin Guilleme was the one to clinch victory for the Deacs, winning his match 6-1, 6-4 on court five. This meant another 4-0 sweep for the Deacs against the Yellow Jackets. They are yet to drop a point in ACC play.
The afternoon finished up with another commanding 4-0 victory over SC State. Sophomore Cornelius Shalmi got some singles action and snagged a 6-2, 6-1 victory for Wake Forest on court six. DK Suresh Ekambaram won his second singles set 6-0 to add a point for the Deacs as well on court one.
What's Next?
Now the Demon Deacons will take the show on the road next weekend for the first ACC road test. The battles will take place in Florida, as Wake will take on Miami on Friday, March 6th, then take on the Seminoles of Florida State on Sunday, March 8th. Let's see if the Deacs can continue to move things in the right direction.
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.