SEATTLE, Wash. – The top-ranked Wake Forest men’s tennis team won its first-ever national championship Monday (Feb. 19) afternoon, defeating No. 7 UCLA, 4-2, to win the 2018 ITA National Team Indoor Championship.
Senior Skander Mansouri, ranked 22nd nationally, clinched the match for the Demon Deacons (9-0) with a 6-4, 7-6(7) victory over No. 107 Keegan Smith of UCLA (12-1).
Wake Forest was forced to come back twice against the Bruins, as the Deacs fell into an early 1-0 hole as well as a 2-1 deficit. Despite Petros Chrysochos and Bar Botzer winning a 6-4 decision at No. 3 doubles, the Bruins took the top two courts to clinch the doubles point.
Julian Zlobinsky quickly evened the match at 1-all with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Connor Hance at the No. 6 spot. After UCLA added a point with a victory at the No. 5 position, it was all Wake Forest, who closed out the next three matches to secure the title.
Chrysochos made it 2-all as the sixth-ranked player in the country won 6-3, 6-4 victory at No. 2 singles. No. 112 Botzer put the Deacs ahead for good with 6-4, 6-4 upset victory over No. 58 Logan Staggs at No. 4 singles, setting up Mansouri to close out the match.
In the top spot, Borna Gojo, ranked 100th nationally, was facing the top-ranked player in the country in Martin Redlicki. After dropping the first set, 6-4, Gojo responded by taking the second set in a tiebreaker, 7-3. The pair were in the first game of the third set when the match was clinched.
The Demon Deacons will have nearly a month off from competition as the team returns to action on Friday, March 16 at Virginia Tech in the Deacs’ ACC opener.
#1 Wake Forest 4, #7 UCLA 2
Doubles Results
1. Redlicki/Zhu (UCLA) def. Dempster/Seraphim (WF), 7-5
2. Rapp/Smith (UCLA) def. Gojo/Mansouri (WF), 7-6(3)
3. Botzer/Chrysochos (WF) def. Periera/Cressy (UCLA), 6-4
Order of Finish: 3,1,2
Singles Results:
1. #100 Borna Gojo (WF) vs. #1 Martin Redlicki (UCLA), 4-6, 7-6(3), unfinished
2. #6 Petros Chrysochos (WF) def. Evan Zhu (UCLA), 6-3, 6-4
3. #22 Skander Mansouri (WF) def. #107 Keegan Smith (UCLA), 6-4, 7-6(7)
4. #112 Bar Botzer (WF) def. #58 Logan Staggs (UCLA), 6-4, 6-4
5. Maxime Cressy (UCLA) def. Rrezart Cungu (WF), 6-3, 6-2
6. Julian Zlobinsky (WF) def. Connor Hance (UCLA), 6-3, 6-0
Order of Finish: 6,5,2,4,3
