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Natalie Novotna and Viktoriya Kanapatskaya were in the middle of a deciding tie-breaker match, one point away from winning their doubles set and sealing the doubles point for Syracuse. But the pair couldn’t close it out.

They saw No. 32 Wake Forest’s Carolyn Campana and Eliza Omirou rally from behind three points to win 9-7 and take the doubles round. Much like the rest of the season, after losing the doubles point, Syracuse ultimately went on to lose the match.

Eight-seed Wake Forest (11-11, 6-7 ACC) defeated 9-seed Syracuse (7-11, 5-8) 5-0 in the second round of the ACC Tournament on Thursday after both teams received a bye in the first round. The Orange were unable to get a point on the board in either the doubles or singles rounds. Wake Forest advanced to play No. 1 North Carolina in the ACC quarterfinals.

Kanapatskaya and Novotna jumped out to an early lead in their respective singles matches, but both never got to finish. The Demon Deacons already exceeded the necessary four points to win the match, ending Syracuse’s ACC Tournament run. A second-round defeat marks Syracuse’s worst finish in the ACC Tournament since 2017, when it suffered a first-round exit at the hands of Louisville.

Syracuse and Wake Forest last played on March 19, when the Demon Deacons dominated the Orange 6-1. Miranda Ramirez was the only player to earn a point for Syracuse, defeating Brooke Killingsworth at No. 4 singles in three sets.

Head coach Younes Limam chose his standard doubles lineup with Novotna and Kanapatskaya at No. 1 doubles, Sofya Treshcheva and Polina Kozyreva at No. 2 doubles, and Guzal Yusupova and Ramirez at No. 3 doubles.

Yusupova and Ramirez sprung out to an early 6-1 victory over Wake Forest’s Anna Campana and Peyton Pesavento, avenging their 5-7 defeat against them in March and giving the Orange a 1-0 lead early in the doubles round.

Soon after, the Demon Deacons’ highest-ranking doubles pair, No. 30 Anna Brylin and Killingsworth, took down Treshcheva and Kozyreva 6-3 to tie the doubles round at one match apiece.

At No. 1 doubles, Syracuse and Wake Forest stayed on par with each other up until the end. No. 36 Kanapatskaya and Novotna traded each game with No. 38 Campana and Omirou, as the set remained deadlocked, leading to a decisive tie-breaker. Campana and Omirou ultimately came out on top, winning the tie-breaker 9-7 and the doubles point for Wake Forest.

Syracuse lost the doubles point for the 12th time this season. Coming from behind with consecutive victories at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles, Wake Forest carried that momentum into singles play.

Despite its lower seed, No. 32 Wake Forest was ranked 10 spots ahead of Syracuse in Oracle ITA team rankings coming into Thursday’s contest. This gap was evident — especially in singles — as Wake Forest only had two ranked singles players (Carolyn Campana at No. 11 and Anna Campana at No. 49) compared to Syracuse’s one (Kanapatskaya at No. 12).

Yusupova and Ramirez were unable to translate their doubles success into the singles round, as they both lost in straight sets by the same 1-6, 2-6 scoreline at No. 3 and No. 4 singles, respectively. These defeats put the Orange in a 3-0 hole, and they meant that Syracuse needed to win all four remaining matches still in play.

No. 12 Kanapatskaya was up 6-1, 2-2 against No. 11 Campana, and she looked to make amends from her 5-7, 6-7 defeat against Campana in March.

Novotna won her first set against No. 49 Anna 7-5. But before Kanapatskaya and Novotna could potentially contribute to the scoreboard, Wake Forest finished the match.

Kozyreva faced Casie Wooten at the No. 6 singles spot again but lost in straight sets, like she did against Wooten in March. Despite improving in the second set, Kozyreva lost 1-6, 4-6.

Zeynep Erman’s match concluded in straight sets loses, too. After returning to the lineup and going on a three-match streak in singles to finish the regular season, Erman dropped the first set and was unable to score in the second, ultimately losing 4-6, 0-6 to Killingsworth.

With Kozyreva and Erman’s losses, Syracuse’s loss to Wake Forest was solidified, and the Orange were eliminated from the ACC Tournament.

Published on April 22, 2021 at 3:34 pm

Contact Bryan: brbrush@syr.edu