Tennis: Wake Forest Cruises to ACC Semis

Since the inception of the ACC in 1954, the Wake Forest men's tennis team have never won an ACC championship. But with the way their playing, the time has never been better for the Demon Deacons.

On Friday morning, No. 11 Demon Deacons (21-6, 9-3) breezed on to the semifinals in the ACC Tournament, taking place in Cary, N.C. The third-seeded Wake team dominated 11th-seeded Clemson from start to finish, with a 4-0 victory. In doubles, the duo of Skander Mansouri and Christian Seraphim quickly took first doubles 8-5. Moments later, Noah Rubin and Jon Ho sealed the doubles point with an 8-3 win on court two.

With the end in sight, Wake kept the pedal to the metal. At second singles, No. 15 Romain Bogaerts won in a double bagel (6-0, 6-0), which is just incomprehensible in a conference match. Soon after, No. 13 Rubin, who has won the ACC Player of the Week for three straight weeks, meticulously dissected his opponent for a routine 6-2, 6-2 win. Finally, the lanky freshman with the game of John Isner, Christian Seraphim clinched the match with a 6-2, 6-3 win at fifth singles.

This win marks the eighth straight for the red hot Demon Deacons, who are finally hitting their stride. Wake's dominance at the top of the lineup, and their strong doubles play, make the Demon Deacons a tough out for any opponent in the ACC and in nation.

In the semifinals, the Demon Deacons will face 10th-seeded Georgia Tech, who upset the second-seeded Virginia Tech, 4-3. Wake defeated the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta three weeks ago, 5-2.

Wake Forest has only made the ACC Championship twice in program history. The last time was 2013, when the Deacs shocked Duke to reach the final match, a 4-1 loss to Virginia. Two years ago, Wake was content with reaching the final match. This year is different. This year, Wake has the talent to go win the ACC Championship for the first time in school history. This year, the Demon Deacons expect to go all the way.