For a while on Sunday it looked like the top ranked team in the land was going down but when the going got tough the tough got going. Wake Forest started off the day by claiming the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 but Georgia Tech came back strong in singles and took five opening sets. Georgia Tech junior Chris Eubanks tied the match at 1-1 with a fairly routine 6-1, 6-4 win over the ITA second-ranked Petros Chrysochos at No. 1. Eubanks led the match from start to finish by breaking Chrysochos’s opening service game in each set. Georgia Tech junior Daniel Yun put the Yellow Jackets ahead with a straight set win over Alan Gadjiev at No. 6. The opening set stayed on serve until Yun broke for 6-5 and then after serving out the set he’d open up a 4-0 lead in the second and close it out 7-5, 6-1

Georgia Tech had the upset win right in front of its eyes because sophomore Andrew Li led Skander Mansouri 6-4, 5-2 at No. 2 and senior Carlos Benito led Borna Gojo 6-3, 5-2 at No. 3. Li and Benito needed just one more game a piece to close it out but neither would be able to do it. Mansouri came back to take the second set in a tiebreak and then he went ahead 4-1 in the third and closed it out 4-6, 7-6, 6-3. Gojo would win 11 of the next 12 games to stun Benito 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 and put the Deacs ahead 3-2. Moments later the match would be over as Wake Forest redshirt junior Christian Seraphim would close out Cole Fiegel in three sets at No. 5. Seraphim came back from 3-1 down in the first set to take it in a tiebreak but Fiegel took the second set 6-0. Seraphim went up an early break in the third and made it hold up and eventually closed it out 7-6, 0-6, 6-4.

Wake sophomore Dennis Uspensky won the final match 7-6(4) in the third at No. 4 to make the final 5-2. 

#1 Wake Forest 5, #17 Georgia Tech 2
Mar 26, 2017 at Atlanta, Ga. (Ken Byers Tennis Complex)
Singles competition
1. #9 Christopher Eubanks (GT) def. #2 Petros Chrysochos (WF) 6-1, 6-4
2. #14 Skander Mansouri (WF) def. #102 Andrew Li (GT) 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-3
3. #57 Borna Gojo (WF) def. Carlos Benito (GT) 3-6, 7-5, 6-1
4. Dennis Uspensky (WF) def. Carlos Divar (GT) 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-4)
5. #50 Christian Seraphim (WF) def. Cole Fiegel (GT) 7-6 (7-5), 0-6, 6-4
6. Daniel Yun (GT) def. Alan Gadjiev (WF) 7-5, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. #1 Christian Seraphim/Skander Mansouri (WF) def. #75 Carlos Benito/Carlos Divar (GT) 6-4
2. Andrew Li/Cole Fiegel (GT) vs. Borna Gojo/Alan Gadjiev (WF) 4-4, unfinished
3. Petros Chrysochos/Dennis Uspensky (WF) def. Christopher Eubanks/Daniel Yun (GT) 6-2
Match Notes
Wake Forest University 17-1, 5-0 ACC; National ranking #1
Georgia Tech 10-3, 3-1 ACC; National ranking #17
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (1,6,2,3,5,4)
Official: Sharon Wright
T-3:00 A-300 

Third-ranked Ohio State defeated No. 16 Michigan for the 23rd consecutive time with a 4-1 win. Ohio State’s Herkko Pollanen and Mikael Torpegaard were the first to finish in doubles with a win at No. 2. The Buckeye duo broke on the no-ad point to go ahead 3-2 and then a few games later Pollanen came back from 30/40 down to hold for 5-3. After a Michigan hold, Torpegaard served it out from love to win it 6-4. Michigan’s Myles Schalet and Kevin Wong evened it up with a win at No. 3. Schalet and Wong broke from 30/40 to go ahead 1-0 and they made the break lead hold up to win 6-4. Michigan’s Jathan Malik and Gabe Tishman jumped out to a 3-0 lead at No. 1 doubles but Ohio State’s Hugo Di Feo and Martin Joyce took the next four games to go up a break at 4-3. Malik and Tishman broke back from 15/40 but Di Feo and Joyce returned the favor and broke on the no-ad point for 5-4. Joyce would come back from 30/40 down to close it out 6-4. 

Each team took three first sets in singles and Ohio State managed to close out two in straight sets while Michigan could only close out one. Ohio State junior Hugo Di Feo made it 2-0 with a 6-1, 6-3 win at No. 2 but Michigan got on the board when Alex Knight defeated JJ Wolf in straight sets at No. 3. Wolf went up a break at 3-2 in the first but Knight broke back on the no-ad point and then won the next three games to take the set 6-3. In the second set, Wolf broke for 4-2 but Knight broke back and then held on the no-ad point for 4-4. Wolf went up 40/15 on his 5-5 service game but Knight broke and then held from 40/15 to win 6-3, 7-5.

Ohio State redshirt freshman made it 3-1 with a straight set win over Runhao Hua at No. 4. Hua broke Seelig to start the match but Seelig broke back for 1-1. Hua broke for 4-3 but Seelig broke back on the no-ad point for 4-4. After four straight holds, Seelig pitched a shutout in the tiebreak to take a set lead. Seelig broke Hua on the no-ad point to start the second set then he held on the no-ad point for 2-0. Seelig would add one more break to close out Hua 7-6, 6-1.

All three of the remaining matches went to a third set but with Ohio State up breaks on all three it became a matter of who would clinch first. Mikael Torpeggard had just held for 5-3 at No. 1 but Herkko Pollanen was serving up 5-4 (40/0) at No. 5 while Martin Joyce was receiving up 5-2 (40/40) on No. 6. Pollanen won the next point to clinch the match 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

#3 Ohio State 4, #16 Michigan 1
Mar 26, 2017 at Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. #1 Mikael Torpegaard (OSU) vs. #91 Jathan Malik (UM) 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 5-3*, unfinished
2. #4 Hugo Di Feo (OSU) def. #74 Myles Schalet (UM) 6-1, 6-3
3. Alex Knight (UM) def. #98 JJ Wolf (OSU) 6-3, 7-5
4. Kyle Seelig (OSU) def. Runhao Hua (UM) 7-6 (7-0), 6-1
5. #93 Herkko Pollanen (OSU) def. Carter Lin (UM) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
6. Martin Joyce (OSU) vs. #109 Kevin Wong (UM) 6-2, 4-6, 5-2, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. #56 Hugo Di Feo/Martin Joyce (OSU) def. Jathan Malik/Gabe Tishman (UM) 6-4
2. #10 Mikael Torpegaard/Herkko Pollanen (OSU) def. #66 Alex Knight/Runhao Hua (UM) 6-4
3. Myles Schalet/Kevin Wong (UM) def. JJ Wolf/Hunter Tubert (OSU) 6-4
Match Notes:
Michigan 12-4 (2-1); National ranking #16
Ohio State 18-3 (3-0); National ranking #3
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (2,3,4,5)

Post-Match Quote from OSU’s recap
“It was a hard-fought win today and I’m proud of the guys,” said Director of Tennis Ty Tucker. “We kept fighting after facing some adversity over the past couple of weeks, losing a couple of matches we thought we could have won. So to be able to close out a quality team in a tough environment was nice to see.”

Ole Miss, ranked No. 49, picked up by far its biggest win of the year with a 4-2 win on the road over rival No. 15 Mississippi State in a match that began on Saturday and finished on Sunday due to rain. Before the rain came on Saturday, Ole Miss took the doubles point with wins at No. 2 and No. 3 and then singles was only a few games in when play was halted. It didn’t take long for Mississippi State to tie the match up and then take a lead after Niclas Braun won 6-0, 6-1 at No. 5 while Nuno Borges won 6-1, 6-3 at No. 1.

Ole Miss tied the match at 2-2 after Grey Hamilton won 6-4, 6-3 at No. 6 and then Tim Sandkaulen made it 3-2 with a straight set win over Mate Cutura at No. 3. Cutura had three set points in the first set tiebreak at *6-4 and *7-6 but Sandkaulen managed to take it 10-8. Sandkaulen served for the match up 5-2 in the second but Cutura broke from 30/40 to make it 5-3. Sandkaulen would break back from 30/40 to close it out 7-6, 6-3. 

Both of the remaining matches went to a third set but it’d be Ole Miss senior Ricardo Jorge that would get the clincher after he broke Strahinja Rakic from 30/40 to win 6-2, 3-6, 7-5. The other match went unfinished with it on serve early in the third. 

No. 49 Ole Miss 4, No. 15 Mississippi State 2
Starkville, Miss. – March 25-26, 2017 – A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre
Doubles competition
1. No. 31 Niclas Braun/Trevor Foshey (MSU) vs. No. 13 Fabian Fallert/Grey Hamilton (UM) 5-5, suspended
2. Ricardo Jorge/Zvonimir Babic (UM) def. Mate Cutura/Vaughn Hunter (MSU) 6-3
3. Filip Kraljevic/Tim Sandkaulen (UM) def. Nuno Borges/Giovanni Oradini (MSU) 6-4
Singles competition
1. No. 4 Nuno Borges (MSU) def. No. 38 Gustav Hansson (UM) 6-1, 6-3
2. Ricardo Jorge (UM) def. No. 110 Strahinja Rakic (MSU) 6-2, 3-6, 7-5*
3. Tim Sandkaulen (UM) def. Mate Cutura (MSU) 7-6(8), 6-4
4. Giovanni Oradini (MSU) vs. Fabian Fallert (UM) 7-5, 3-6, *1-2, suspended
5. Niclas Braun (MSU) def. Filip Kraljevic (UM) 6-0, 6-1
6. Grey Hamilton (UM) def. Vaughn Hunter (MSU) 6-4, 6-3
Match Notes
Ole Miss (8-6, 3-4 SEC); National ranking #49
Mississippi State (14-4, 5-1 SEC); National ranking #15
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (5,1,6,3,2)

Post-Match Quotes from Ole Miss’s recap

Thoughts from head coach Toby Hansson…“This was an instant classic. We will remember this win for a long time, because it took two days to finish and we were down here three days. We are extremely proud of the guys for staying composed and patient dealing with the delays and coming out here and beating a really good team. This was a team win, but the game ball goes to Ricardo Jorge, for the way he finished off the victory.”

On dealing with the delays…“Obviously, tough conditions with the rain and the delays, but we had to be patient. We did a very good job getting the doubles yesterday and then we tried to complete the match last night. When we realized that wasn’t going to happen, we just went back and followed our routine. We got out there today and everybody was ready to go.”

On momentum shifts…“They got two quick matches to start off, but we were able to bounce back. Grey played a very solid match, he was in control. When his opponent came back in the second set, he stayed focused and composed. Tim won a huge tiebreaker to shift the momentum in our favor there. He beat that guy in the fall, so he knew he could do it again. He played solid. Fabi played a great player, and he was in control in the first set, but the guy stepped up his level. Fabi stayed mentally strong and hung in there to get the second set. He was looking good in the third set.”

On Ricky saving break points and clinching…“That was a very courageous effort from Ricardo. He was down break points and then he battled back to get to deuce and then hit an ace. Ricardo continues to battle every time out and we couldn’t be happier for him to clinch such a big win for us.”

Thoughts from Ricardo Jorge…“This was a really important win for the team. We had a tough start in the SEC and this win against a good Mississippi State team can be a turning point for the rest of the season. We faced a loud crowd in doubles and we handled it really well. The guys showed a lot of character today and gave it their all. It was great to see and we deserved to win.”

On what his win means personally…“Personally, this win means a lot to me. I’ve been struggling with back pain the last couple of weeks. I was really frustrated after losing against South Carolina. I knew I could win, but I was physically constrained because my back started to hurt a lot during the second set. Today I was fortunate enough to be healthy during the entire match and that gave me motivation to play my best tennis, especially when I faced three break points at 5-5 in the third set. The team was really supportive and I was not going to let this one go today.”

Post-Match Quotes from MSU’s recap
“Today was a tough result, but tip your cap to Ole Miss because they played a great match,” head coach Matt Roberts said. “I think we pressed a little bit with the big home crowd, but we have to do a better job at taking our chances when they come. We’re going to move on and stay focused on improving and getting better.”

“Ole Miss did a better job handling the rain delay and the layover to Sunday,” Roberts said. “We have to adjust better with that going forward. We’re not going to dwell on this one too long, because we have a big weekend of home matches coming up. We had a great crowd this weekend, so it should be a fun couple of matches.”

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It was a great weekend for South Carolina athletics with the men’s basketball team advancing to the Final Four, the women’s tennis team picking up road wins at Missouri and Arkansas, and then the men’s tennis team capped everything off with a 4-3 win over No. 23 Kentucky. South Carolina blew Kentucky off the court in doubles with a pair of 6-1 wins at No. 1 and No. 3 and then the Gamecocks took four first set in singles. 

South Carolina junior Gabriel Friedrich cruised to a 6-0, 6-2 win at No. 2 to make it 2-0 and then freshman Paul Jubb made it 3-0 with a 6-2, 6-4 win at No. 6. Minutes later Kentucky would get on the board when sophomore Enzo Wallart won 6-2, 6-2 at No. 4 and junior Trey Yates won 6-4, 6-2 at No. 5. 

Both of the remaining matches were in a third set when the skies opened up which caused a two and a half hour stoppage in play. When play resumed South Carolina junior Harrison O’Keefe was serving up 2-1 in the third against William Bushamuka at No. 1 while Kentucky senior Nils Ellefsen was receiving up 3-2 in the third against Andrew Schafer at No. 3.

Ellefsen tied the match at 3-3 after he broke Andrew Schafer’s 3-4 service game on the no-ad point and then he served it out from 40/15 to win 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. 

O’Keefe would hold from 40/15 to go up 3-1 and then he broke from 30/40 to make it 4-1. Another hold from 40/15 made it 5-1 and then O’Keefe went up 0/40 on Bushamuka’s serve. Bushamuka came back and reeled off seven straight points to hold for 2-5 and go up 0/40 on O’Keefe’s serve. O’Keefe worked it back to the no-ad point after hitting back-to-back service winners and then Bushamuka missed a forehand wide. O’Keefe closed it out with a third service winner to clinch the match with a 7-6, 1-6, 6-2 win.  

• #2 Virginia def. Duke 7-0 – Duke had two players get injured and had to forfeit No. 3 doubles and No. 5 and No. 6 singles
• #4 Baylor def. #28 Memphis 4-0
• #7 Oklahoma State def. #32 SMU 4-2 – the Cowboys trailed 2-0 but Julian Cash, Lucas Gerch, Lukas Finzelberg, and Tristan Meraut won in straight sets
• #12 Florida def. #41 Vanderbilt 7-0
• #20 Northwestern def. #35 Indiana 4-2
• #21 Columbia def. Bryant 7-0
• #31 Wisconsin def. Nebraska 7-0
• #32 Minnesota def. Iowa 5-2
• #34 Louisville def. Miami FL 4-1
• #37 Rice def. Texas A&M Corpus Christi 4-0
• #39 Old Dominion def. Charlotte 6-1
• #47 UCF def. #29 Florida State 4-1
• NC State def. Clemson 5-2
• Virginia Tech def. Boston College 6-1
• Penn def. Penn State 4-3
• Denver def. UNLV 4-1
• Middle Tennessee State def. Florida Atlantic 4-3
• Santa Clara def. Gonzaga 4-1
• Loyola Marymount def. Pacific 4-1
• UC Santa Barbara def. Princeton 6-1
• Mercer def. UNC Greensboro 4-3

Women’s Results

• #1 Florida def. #44 Missouri 4-0
• #3 Georgia def. #25 Mississippi State 4-0
• #4 North Carolina def. #29 Virginia 5-2
• #5 Stanford def. Hawaii 4-0 – it was win No. 400 for head coach Lele Forood
• #6 Georgia Tech def. Syracuse 4-3
• #8 Vanderbilt def. #45 Alabama 6-1
• #9 Texas Tech def. #15 Baylor 4-2
• #10 Michigan def. Purdue 5-2
• #13 Kentucky def. #11 Auburn 4-3
• #17 Duke def. Virginia Tech 6-1
• #21 Kansas def. Iowa State 4-0
• #22 Texas def. #27 TCU 4-0
• #23 Tennessee def. #28 Ole Miss 4-3
• #24 South Carolina def. #18 Arkansas 4-2
• #35 NC State def. #31 Wake Forest 5-2
• #38 Washington def. Colorado 5-2
• #41 William & Mary def Harvard 4-3
• #47 Northwestern def. Rutgers 5-2
• Illinois def. #33 Maryland 5-2
• Long Beach State def. #46 Denver 5-2
• Florida State def. Pitt 4-1