OU Upends No.12 Wake, Advances at ITA Kickoff

FORT WORTH, Texas – The Oklahoma men's tennis team advanced to the championship match at ITA Kickoff in Fort Worth with a 4-0 statement win over No. 12 Wake Forest Saturday.

The unranked Sooners (2-1) won the doubles point with wins at the No. 3 and No. 1 spots, then reeled off three singles wins from Jake Van Emburgh, Justin Schlageter and Alex Martinez to upend the Demon Deacons.

OU's win Saturday marked the first time Wake Forest had been swept since 2016, when OU defeated the Demon Deacons 4-0 in the NCAA Sweet 16 in Tulsa.

"Today the guys played Sooner tennis on every court," said OU head coach Nick Crowell. "Energy and discipline was high and the guys played to win at the critical moments in the match. The guys continued to battle on every court and never gave anything all day. I'm proud of the team but we are not done yet and look forward to another opportunity tomorrow!"

OU took the doubles point in a thriller. Mark Mandlik and Welsh Hotard struck first, making quick work of Wake's Melios Efstathiou and Robert Maciag 6-2 on court three.

At the top spot, Jake Van Emburgh and Max Stewart fell to Eduardo Nava and Adam Ambrozy 6-1. The point came down to court two, where Nathan Han and Alex Martinez held on for a wild, 7-6 (3) win over Siddhant Banthia and Matthew Thomson.

"Mark and Welsh came out firing early on all cylinders," said Crowell. "Nathan and Alex came up huge in the doubles to clinch it in a breaker."

In singles, Van Emburgh was the first Sooner off the court as he flew past Efstathiou 6-2, 6-2 on court three. The senior never trailed in his match.

"It was huge for Jake to get up early and close out. That gave us a lot of momentum." Crowell said.

Justin Schlageter put the Sooners up 3-0 with a win over Adam Ambrozy on court five. The sophomore gave up the first set 6-4, but roared back to take the second 6-3 and force a deciding frame. Schlageter played a near-perfect third set, winning it 6-1.

Martinez clinched the victory on court four, where he defeated Robert Maciag in a three-setter. Martinez won the first set handily, 6-3, before Maciag made a 7-5 set two comeback. It was Martinez that came out on top, taking the third set 6-4 on a forehand winner to seal the match for OU.

"Justin and Alex both closed their third sets and played the way we want our guys playing in those moments," remarked Crowell.

When play was halted, Mandlik led his third set with Wake's Nava 3-1 on court one. The Sooner dropped the first set 7-6, but powered back to win set two 7-5.

No. 69 Mason Beiler also led his third set, up 2-1 on Banthia on court two. Beiler took his first set 7-6 (5), but Banthia forced another set when he won the second 6-3.

On court six, Han was in his second set with No. 92 Rrezart Cungu. The Sooner rolled to a 6-1 first set victory and trailed 1-0 in set two when the match was clinched.

Up Next

OU is set for tomorrow's 2 p.m. championship match. The Sooners will face No. 6 TCU. Live stats will be available for the contest.

Results

Singles
1. Eduardo Nava (WF) vs. Mark Mandlik (OU) 7-6, 5-7, 1-3, unfinished
2. Siddhant Banthia (WF) vs. #69 Mason Beiler (OU) 6-7 (5-0), 6-3, 1-2, unfinished
3. Jake Van Emburgh (OU) def. Melios Efstathiou (WF) 6-2, 6-2
4. Alex Martinez (OU) def. Robert Maciag (WF) 6-3, 5-7, 6-4
5. Justin Schlageter (OU) def. Adam Ambrozy (WF) 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
6. #92 Rrezart Cungu (WF) vs. Nathan Han (OU) 1-6, 1-0, unfinished

Doubles
1. Eduardo Nava/Adam Ambrozy (WF) def. Max Stewart/Jake Van Emburgh (OU) 6-1
2. Nathan Han/Alex Martinez (OU) def. Siddhant Banthia/Matthew Thomson (WF) 7-6 (0-3)
3. Mark Mandlik/Welsh Hotard (OU) def. Melios Efstathiou/Robert Maciag (WF) 6-2

Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (3,5,4)