DALLAS, TX – The No. 1-seeded Wake Forest men’s tennis team continued its dominant start to the season with a 4-0 sweep over SMU in the ITA National Indoor Championship Round of 16 on Friday.
With this win, the Demon Deacons (11-0) remain undefeated and advance to the quarterfinals for the second straight year.
Wake Forest will now face the winner of No. 4 Kentucky vs. No. 5 NC State on Saturday, Feb. 15, at 4:30 p.m. ET. Matches will continue to be streamed on the ITA YouTube channel.
Match Recap: Wake Forest 4, SMU 0
Doubles Dominance
- The No. 30-ranked duo of DK Suresh Ekambaram and Stefan Dostanic claimed a 6-3 victory on court one, improving to 5-0 on the season.
- Ioannis Xilas and Franco Capalbo secured another 6-3 win on court three, clinching the doubles point for Wake Forest.
- The Deacs have now won all 11 doubles points this season, with an overall doubles record of 22-3.
Singles Success
- Luca Pow made quick work on court six, defeating Noah McDonald (6-2, 6-1) to put Wake Forest up 2-0.
- Suresh continued his stellar play, taking down Jerry Barton (6-4, 6-4) on court two to extend the lead to 3-0.
- Luciano Tacchi clinched the match with a commanding 7-5, 6-0 win over Maks Silagy on court five, securing Wake Forest’s quarterfinal berth.
Key Stats from the Win
- Wake Forest is now 11-0 for the first time since their 2018 National Championship season (14-0 start).
- Eight of their 11 wins have been 4-0 sweeps.
- The Deacs boast an impressive 40-8 singles record this season.
- Pow and Tacchi lead the team with seven singles wins each.
How It Happened
Doubles Results
| Court | Wake Forest Pair | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No. 30 Suresh/Dostanic | Silagy/Georgiev | 6-3 |
| 2 | Tacchi/Pow | Svajda/Cloud | 6-6 (unfinished) |
| 3 | Capalbo/Xilas | Deo/Calvelo | 6-3 |
Order of finish: 1, 3
Singles Results
| Court | Wake Forest Player | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No. 17 Stefan Dostanic | No. 70 Trevor Svajda | 7-6 (7-5), 3-1 (unfinished) |
| 2 | No. 7 DK Suresh Ekambaram | Jerry Barton | 6-4, 6-4 |
| 3 | No. 98 Charlie Robertson | Ofek Shimanov | 7-6 (7-5), 4-1 (unfinished) |
| 4 | No. 100 Ioannis Xilas | Georgi Georgiev | 4-6, 3-2 (unfinished) |
| 5 | Luciano Tacchi | Maks Silagy | 7-5, 6-0 |
| 6 | Luca Pow | Noah McDonald | 6-2, 6-1 |
Order of finish: 6, 2, 5
Coach Tony Bresky’s Thoughts
“SMU put on a great event, and they have a really strong team. Playing a host school in the first match on a Friday night is always tough, but our guys handled it well. We’ve faced tough environments already this season, playing at Baylor and Columbia, and we’ve had big home crowds. This experience helped us get through some tough first sets. We’re excited for the quarterfinals and ready to compete again tomorrow.”
What’s Next?
Wake Forest advances to the quarterfinals and will face the winner of No. 4 Kentucky vs. No. 5 NC State on Saturday, Feb. 15, at 4:30 p.m. ET.
The Deacs look to continue their undefeated run and move one step closer to their first ITA National Indoor title since 2018.
Stay tuned for updates on GoDeacs.com and follow @WakeMTennis on social media for live coverage.
