MEN’S TENNIS- Israel finishes upset of Wake Forest

A singles victory in the day’s final match by senior Georges-Alexandre Israel (Marseille, France) broke a tie and gave VCU a narrow 4-3 win over No. 11 Wake Forest Sunday at the Thalhimer Tennis Center. The upset capped a successful weekend for the Rams, who beat Northwestern 4-1 Saturday.

Two pairs of Rams won in a doubles-match play to earn the team the doubles point.

Senior Sebastien Ripoll (Mauleon-Soule, France) and junior Emil Lindgren (Stocksund, Sweden) combined to down Mariusz Adamski and Carlos Salmon 8-6. The Demon Deacons hurt their cause with repeated unforced errors. Salmon was visibly upset, occasionally slamming his racket on the court.

Ripoll and Lindgren are 5-2 together in doubles this season.

Junior Martin Schulhauser (Karvina, Czech Republic) and sophomore Thibaut Charron (Sens, France) fell to the 21st-ranked doubles team in the country – Cory Parr and Steven Forman – 8-6. The loss was the first this season for the Schulhauser-Charron pairing, which is now 4-1.

Court 3 finished in dramatic fashion. Sophomore Stepan Siska (Prague, Czech Republic) and freshman Bobo Delemark (Danderyd, Sweden) finished off Iain Atkinson and Andrew Brasseaux 9-7.

Despite taking the doubles point, VCU fell behind 3-2.

Forman, Parr and Jonathan Wolff finished with singles wins for the Demon Deacons over Schulhauser, Charron and Siska, respectively.

Senior Damien Lacombe (Perigueux, France) sandwiched a win in between with straight sets – 6-1, 6-1 – to keep the Rams within striking distance.

Lindgren bested Brasseaux, 6-3, 6-4, to bring the score to 3-3, leaving only Israel’s match with Jason Morgenstern to determine the winner.

Israel dropped the first set, 4-6, but rallied for the deciding sets, 6-2, 6-4, to clinch the victory.

Wake Forest is the highest-ranked opponent VCU has defeated since a win against Duke in 2006.

VCU improved its all-time record to 15-5 against Wake Forest and has captured three straight in the series. The Rams are now 7-1 and have won three in a row. The team returns to the home court Saturday for a CAA matchup with Georgia State at 10 a.m.

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How they finished:

Doubles

1. Sebastien Ripoll/Emil Lindgren
(VCU) d. #45 Mariusz Adamski/
Carlos Salmon, 8-6

2. #21 Cory Parr/Steven Forman
(WFU) d. Martin Shulhauser/
Thibaut Charron, 8-6

3. Stepan Siska/Bobo Delemark
(VCU) d. Iain Atkinson/Andrew
Brasseaux, 9-7

Singles

1. #91 Forman (WFU) d.
Shulhauser, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5

2. #64 Parr (WFU) d. charron, 4-6,
6-3, 6-3

3. #33 Lacombe (VCU) d.
Adamski, 6-1, 6-1

4. Jonathan Wolff (WFU) d. Siska,
6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-1

5. Alex Israel (VCU) d. Jason
Morgenstern, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4

6. Lindgren d. Brasseaux, 6-3, 6-4