Ohio State sophomore JJ Tracy pumps his fist in celebration during his singles match against Tennessee junior Angel Diaz at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center Feb. 4. Ohio State won 4-0. Credit: Casey Smith | Assistant Lantern TV Sports Producer
The No. 1 Ohio State men’s tennis team maintained its undefeated record with a 7-0 victory over No. 6 Wake Forest at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center Sunday.
The Buckeyes (9-0) are 4-0 against Top 10 teams on the season as they prepare for the ITA Indoor National Championships. The loss pushes the Demon Deacons (13-3) to 0-3 on the road this season.
“We work so hard, and everyone is pushing each other to be their best,”graduate Jake Van Emburgh said. “A 7-0 sweep against the No. 6 team in the nation is unbelievable, but we worked hard and earned it.”
This was the Buckeyes’ fourth consecutive win over a Top 10 team over the last two weeks and their eighth sweep of the season. Ohio State has only given up one point through nine matches.
The action started in the doubles bracket. The No. 1 ranked doubles team, graduate Matej Vocel and junior Robert Cash, finished first with a 6-2 victory over No. 20 Wake Forest graduate Jakob Schnaitter and senior Siddhant Banthia.
Junior Cannon Kingsley and sophomore JJ Tracy had a dominant performance as well, finishing off Wake Forest’s redshirt junior Robert Maciag and graduate Ben Draper 6-3.
Tracy said the doubles matches are an essential kickstarter before the singles action.
“The doubles victory is the most important point you can get, it sets you up, and you need to win three,” Tracy said.
Kingsley was a highlight of the opening singles matches for Ohio State, cruising to a dominant 6-0 victory in set one over senior Melios Efstathiou. His impressive performance didn’t stop there as he swept after a 6-1 second set victory.
Tracy picked up a 6-1 win in the first set against sophomore Filippo Moroni. He completed the sweep as he won the second set 6-2.
“It feels awesome,” Tracy said. “It was a quick match, and to be able to get the win fast is great as I can go support my teammates.”
After the two singles matches, Ohio State got off to a quick 3-0 lead. Matches were close and tight as three different courts were tied 2-2 going into the fifth set.
Senior James Trotter and Vocel broke the ties first as they both took the next set to jump to a 3-2 lead in their respective matches. Trotter finished set one 6-3 over Schnaitter.
Trotter swept, taking both sets 6-3.
Vocel battled it out with graduate Jurabek Karimov, going back and forth and knotting 6-6 in the first set. After an overtime session, Karimov came away with a 7-6 victory. Vocel tied it back up for a third and final set after coming away 6-4 in the second.
Cash tied 3-3 early in the first set but prevailed with a 6-4 first set win against junior Taha Baadi. He swept with a 6-3 win in the second set.
Van Emburgh lost the first set 6-1 but tied 3-3 in the second on his way to a 6-3 second set victory. In a tight, back-and-forth third round that ended tied, an overtime period resulted in Van Emburgh coming away victorious over fifth-year Eduardo Nava 6-5.
“I lost the first set and there’s nothing I can do about it. I can get sad about it or find a way to get back into the match,” Van Emburgh said. “I had to get through it, and I did. We all wanted to get a victory today.”
The Buckeyes are firing on all cylinders, and Van Emburgh said they’re playing off one another’s energy.
“We’re a brotherhood and everyone is playing for each other right now,” Van Emburgh said. “We’re more confident than ever going into the indoor tournament.”
The Buckeyes return to action Friday as they compete in the ITA Indoor National Team Championship in Seattle, Washington.
