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The Miami Hurricanes Men’s tennis team scored their biggest win in years today at The Schiff, defeating No. 18 Wake Forest 4-3. This was the ‘Canes first win over a top 20 team since they defeated No. 16 Georgia Tech in 2011.
The Demon Deacons came into town with a line up of one doubles team and three singles players in the rankings. On paper, there didn’t seem to be much of a chance for the ‘Canes to win today. But the ‘Canes have been hot recently, winning seven of their last eight, including a win over No. 54 Georgia Tech. And they proved today that no matter your ranking, you have to play the matches.
In the doubles, the ‘Canes surprisingly took the doubles point by defeating the Deacons’ two unranked doubles teams to take the all-important doubles point. With that momentum, the ‘Canes took four of the six first sets in the singles matches. Gabriel Flores, in maybe his most impressive outing in memory, absolutely demolished his 48th ranked opponent 6-1, 6-0 to extend Miami’s lead to 2-0. Gonzales then followed with a straight sets win in the No. 4 singles position to get the ‘Canes one win away from a huge upset.
Omar Aly went up against No. 20 Romain Bogaert in the No. 1 singles match. Aly had won his last six matches in the toughest position in college tennis but not many expected him to beat Bogaert. Bogaert is ranked No. 20 in the country and has a record of 8-4 in dual matches this year, including a win over No. 2 Guillermo Alcorta of Oklahoma. Aly took the first set 6-3 and they battled back and forth to a second-set tiebreaker. Some Live Stats mishaps made things interesting for a bit as usual. The tie break may have been the match right here but Aly amazingly took it for a straight-sets win and clinched the match for Miami. The Demons took the other three singles to make it close but the ‘Canes win was sealed.
The Canes are now 11-4 (2-1) and should get a healthy boost up the rankings when they come out on Tuesday. Sunday’s match against No. 31 NC State will provide some indication of just how much of a chance the ‘Canes have of going to their 44th NCAA tournament.
The ‘Canes Women’s team also came away with their ninth consecutive victory today over Syracuse with a 7-0 win. The women have a tough road schedule coming up so every win they get here is vital. They will go up to Winston-Salem on Sunday to face Wake Forest.
Next matches:
Men’s team: Vs. NC State; Sunday, March 23, 12 noon at Coral Gables
Women’s team: Vs. Wake Forest; Sunday March 23, 12 noon at Winston-Salem