In a fast-paced Atlantic Coast Conference matchup, the No. 39 Louisville men’s tennis team fell 4-1 to No. 14 Wake Forest at the Wake Forest Tennis Center. Despite their best efforts, the Cardinals (10-8, 1-6 ACC) were unable to clinch a victory, which would have been much needed to boost their season record.
Right from the start, the match was a tight contest, and it looked like it could go either way. Fabien Salle and Natan Rodrigues teamed up to get an early victory at the No. 1 spot, defeating Juan Lopez and Filippo Moroni 6-3. However, the Demon Deacons had different plans in store as they clinched wins on courts two and three to take the first point of the match.
After Wake Forest extended their lead with a win at the No. 5 spot, the Cardinals fought back on court three where Salle, ranked No. 55 in the ITA singles rankings, emerged as a hero, winning against Matthew Thomson with a score of 6-1, 6-1. It was a well-deserved victory for Salle, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to get the Cardinals back in the game. Wake Forest added wins on courts four and six to secure the 4-1 win and extend their season record to 19-6.
Louisville’s 76th-ranked Rodrigues put up an outstanding performance by defeating No. 11 Melios Efstathiou 6-3, but was tied 4-4 in the second set on court one when the match ended. He could have been the game-changer for the Cardinals, but it wasn’t meant to be for the young athlete. Meanwhile, on court two, No. 31 Etienne Donnet split sets with Filippo Moroni and was down 2-1 in the third set when the game ended, leaving a bitter taste for the Cardinals.
Moving forward, the Cardinals will look to bounce back as they wrap up their four-match road stretch on Sunday with a noon matchup against No. 25 NC State. It won’t be an easy challenge, but the Cardinals will be up for it, hoping to secure a much-needed victory to get their season back on track.
