No. 1 Wake Forest Men’s Tennis Falls to Ohio State in Road Match
Table of Contents
The No. 1-ranked Wake Forest men’s tennis team suffered its first defeat of the 2026 season on Sunday, falling 4-0 to No. 6 Ohio State at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center in Columbus, Ohio. Despite a strong showing in doubles, the Demon Deacons were unable to overcome a determined buckeye squad.
Doubles Play Sets the Tone
The match began with a competitive doubles session. Senior DK Suresh Ekambaram and redshirt freshman Aryan Shah secured a 6-4 victory on court one, contributing to Suresh’s impressive record of wins coming against ranked opponents.
With this win, Suresh now holds the 10th-most doubles wins in Wake Forest program history with 85, surpassing the previous record of 85 held by Todd Paul (2003-07). However, Ohio state ultimately claimed the doubles point, winning on courts two and three.
Singles Competition Sees Buckeye Dominance
Despite a tight start to singles play, with all six courts remaining competitive in the opening 20 minutes, Ohio State gained momentum.Sophomore Charlie Robertson battled to a 7-5 first-set victory on court five, while freshman Aryan Shah won a closely contested first set 7-6(6) on court two.
However, the Buckeyes secured the first singles point on court four, followed by another win on court two, extending their lead to 3-0. Ohio State then clinched the match with a victory on court six. Play was halted on the remaining courts, leaving several matches unfinished.
Specifically,Suresh was trailing 2-0 in the third set on court one against No. 5-ranked Aidan Kim, after winning the second set 6-4. Shah was locked at 2-2 in the second set on court three, and Robertson was even at 3-3 in the second on court five.
Here’s a breakdown of the singles results:
-
12 DK Suresh Ekambaram (WFU) vs. #5 Aidan Kim (OSU) 2-6, 6-4, 0-2, unfinished
-
51 Preston Stearns (OSU) def.#15 Luca pow (WFU) 6-3, 6-2
- Aryan Shah (WFU) vs. #22 Jack Anthrop (OSU) 7-6(6),2-2,unfinished
- Bryce Nakashima (OSU) def. Most Rottgering (WFU) 6-2, 6-2
- Charlie Robertson (WFU) vs. Loren Byers (OSU) 7-5, 3-3, unfinished
-
42 Nikita filin (OSU) def. Joaquin Guilleme (WFU) 7-6(3), 6-4
The order of finish in singles was 4, 2, and 6.
Looking Ahead to National Indoors
Despite the setback, Wake Forest remains optimistic. “Credit to Ohio State, thay had a really good crowd and they were really prepared,” said a team representative. “It’s a great learning experience for our guys. We have a young team that’s growing and learning.If I know the group that we have, they’re going to use this as tremendous motivation to get better.”
The Demon Deacons will now focus their planning for the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, hosted by Baylor and SMU from February 13-17. Wake Forest is aiming for their third indoor team title,having previously won in 2018 and 2025,and will attempt to become the eighth team to win the crown in back-to-back seasons and the second as an ACC member.
Fans can follow the Demon Deacons at GoDeacs.com, on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
