For the first time since their 2018 championship victory, the No. 1 Wake Forest men’s tennis team has advanced to the ITA National Indoor Championship final. The Demon Deacons secured a hard-fought 4-3 win over Texas on Monday afternoon in Dallas, Texas, setting up a showdown with the winner of TCU vs. Stanford for the title.
Wake Forest will play for its second-ever ITA National Indoor Championship on Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 7:30 p.m. ET. Fans can watch the match live on the ITA YouTube channel.
Wake Forest’s Road to the Championship
The Demon Deacons (13-0, 0-0 ACC) are off to a historic start, going 13-0 for the first time since their 2018 National Championship run (14-0). The team has been dominant in both singles (46-13) and doubles (26-4), winning all 13 doubles points this season.
Coming into the semifinals, Texas had only lost two doubles points all season, but Wake Forest’s strong performance in doubles gave them the early edge.
Doubles Recap
Wake Forest quickly took control in doubles with dominant performances:
- Stefan Dostanic and DK Suresh Ekambaram defeated the No. 5-ranked duo of Brown/Legout 6-3 on court one.
- Franco Capalbo and Ioannis Xilas clinched the doubles point with a 6-4 victory over Texas’ Braswell/Ojakaar on court three.
With the doubles point secured, Wake Forest carried a 1-0 lead into singles play.
Singles Recap: Xilas Clinches the Victory
Texas fought back in singles, taking wins on courts one and five to grab a 2-1 lead. However, Luca Pow quickly responded, winning 6-2, 7-5 on court six to even the match at 2-2.
One of the biggest moments of the match came on court two, where DK Suresh Ekambaram pulled off a stunning comeback win over No. 10 Sebastian Gorzny. After dropping the first set, he rallied to win 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) in a thrilling third-set tiebreak.
With Wake Forest up 3-2, Texas tied the match again at 3-3 with a win on court three.
The decisive moment came on court four, where Ioannis Xilas kept his composure in a three-set battle against No. 21 Jonah Braswell. Xilas secured the victory with a 6-3, 6(7)-7, 6-3 win, sending Wake Forest to the ITA National Indoor Championship final.
Singles Results
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No. 11 Timo Legout (TEX) | No. 17 Stefan Dostanic (WFU) | 6-4, 6-2 |
| 2 | No. 7 DK Suresh Ekambaram (WFU) | No. 10 Sebastian Gorzny (TEX) | 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) |
| 3 | No. 121 Pierre-Yves Bailly (TEX) | No. 98 Charlie Robertson (WFU) | 6(4)-7, 6-3, 6-1 |
| 4 | No. 100 Ioannis Xilas (WFU) | No. 21 Jonah Braswell (TEX) | 6-3, 6(7)-7, 6-3 |
| 5 | Oliver Ojakaar (TEX) | Luciano Tacchi (WFU) | 6-1, 7-6(3) |
| 6 | Luca Pow (WFU) | Sebastian Eriksson (TEX) | 6-2, 7-5 |
Order of finish: 1, 5, 6, 2, 3, 4
Doubles Results
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No. 30 Suresh/Dostanic (WFU) | No. 5 Brown/Legout (TEX) | 6-3 |
| 2 | No. 3 Tacchi/Pow (WFU) | Bailly/Gorzny (TEX) | 6-5 (unfinished) |
| 3 | Capalbo/Xilas (WFU) | Braswell/Ojakaar (TEX) | 6-4 |
Order of finish: 1, 3
Wake Forest’s Dominance Against Texas
With this victory, Wake Forest improves to 4-10 all-time against Texas and has won four of the last seven meetings between the two teams.
A Shot at History: ITA National Indoor Championship Final
With their semifinal win, Wake Forest now has a chance to win its second ITA National Indoor Championship. The Demon Deacons will face the winner of (1) TCU vs. (6) Stanford on Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 7:30 p.m. ET.
A victory would make Wake Forest the 13th program in history to win multiple ITA National Indoor titles.
Upcoming ITA National Indoor Final
- Match: No. 1 Wake Forest vs. TBD (TCU or Stanford)
- Date: Tuesday, Feb. 18
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Location: SMU, Dallas, Texas
- Watch Live: ITA YouTube Channel
