University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
#10 Wake Forest
Vols Fall to Wake Forest in Tennis Rematch
February 07, 2016 | Men's Tennis
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Meeting 10th-ranked Wake Forest for the second time this season, the Tennessee men's tennis team lost the rematch 7-0 Sunday at Goodfriend Tennis Center.
Wake Forest (7-1) won the first match between the teams 4-0 on Jan. 25 in Winston-Salem, N.C. The second meeting featured just two rematches, one in singles and one in doubles. The Vols (5-3) won the rematch at the top of the doubles lineup, but could not collect victories on the remaining courts.
The Demon Deacons edged out the doubles point with a 6-4 victory on court 2, seconds before Luis Valero and Jack Schipanski avenged a loss from two weeks ago, beating 25th-ranked Skander Mansouri and Christian Seraphim 6-4 at the top of the lineup.
In singles, Wake Forest won six first sets, including on three courts where the Vols were up a break earlier in the set.
"We have a very good team, but we keep getting in their own way early in matches," Tennessee head coach Sam Winterbotham said. "We're pressing too early and doing things we know not to do. It's just a case of handling emotions better at the start of matches. When we start getting out of our way and playing how we can play, we can play with anybody."
The Vols started turning around momentum in the second set, but Wake Forest collected the points necessary to clinch the match in singles. In the only singles rematch, 26th-ranked Skander Mansouri defeated freshman Timo Stodder 6-0, 6-4 on court 2. Romain Bogaerts beat junior Jack Schipanski 6-1, 6-2 on court 4 and Dennis Uspensky won 6-2, 6-4 against sophomore Preston Touliatos on court 6.
Tennessee won second sets to force a pair of third set super tiebreakers but lost both. Freshman Srdjan Jakovljevic lost 4-6, 6-3, [10-5] to big-serving 6-foot-8 Seraphim on court 6. At the top of the lineup, sophomore Igor Smelyanski had two match points in the deciding tiebreaker but lost 7-5, 3-6, [12-10].
Wake Forest finished the shutout as Jon Ho beat sophomore Luis Valero 7-6(2), 7-6(4).
Wake Forest 7, Tennessee 0
Singles
1. Petros Chrysochos, WF, def. #75 Igor Smelyanski, UT, 7-5, 3-6, [12-10]
2. #26 Skander Mansouri, WF, def Timo Stodder, UT, 6-0, 6-4
3. #103 Jon Ho, WF, def. Luis Valero, UT, 7-6(2), 7-6(4}
4. Romain Bogaerts, WF, def. Jack Schipanski, UT, 6-1, 6-2
5. Dennis Uspensky, WF, def. Preston Touliatos, UT, 6-2, 6-4
6. Christian Seraphim, WF, def. Srdjan Jakovljevic, UT, 4-6, 6-3, [10-5]
Doubles
1. #23 Schipanski/Valero, UT, def. #25 Mansouri/Seraphim, WF, 6-4
2. Ho/Chrysochos, WF, def. Stodder/Smelyanski, UT, 6-4
3. Bogaerts/Uspensky, WF, def. Touliatos/Heslin, UT, 6-0
Order of Finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (2,4,5,6,1,3).
