Cards Split Home Doubleheader

Sunday, March 23

LOUISVILLE, KY

12 p.m.

University of Louisville

#1 Wake Forest

Photo by: Rachel Klotz | Louisville Athletics

March 23, 2025 | Men's Tennis

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

After falling 4-1 to No. 1 Wake Forest, the Cards bounced back to sweep Bellarmine 7-0.

By: Anthony Acquisto & Nathan Larson

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville men's tennis team went 1-1 in Sunday's double header, dropping their first match to No. 1 Wake Forest, 4-1 and sweeping Bellarmine in the nightcap, 7-0.

No. 1 Wake Forest 4, Louisville 1

Facing the top team in the country in their first match of the day, the Cards were able to battle in the back-and-forth doubles competition. Court 3 was first to finish as Franco Capalbo and Ioannis Xilas claimed a 6-4 victory.

Natan Rodrigues and Hamza El Amine evened the score on Court 2 with a huge win over No. 3 Luciano Tacchi and Luca Pow with a score of 6-3. The Demon Deacons went on to clinch the doubles point on Court 1 with a 7-5 win.

In singles play, Wake Forest freshman Charlie Robertson earned the first point over Andre' Steinbach on Court 3 with a score of 6-4, 6-1.

On Court 1, Will Mayew pulled off an upset over the No. 6-ranked ITA singles player DK Suresh Ekambaram, winning 6-3, 6-4.

Shortly after, Xilas handled Rodrigues with a score of 6-2, 6-3, giving Wake Forest a 3-1 lead.\

The clinching point came when Pow defeated Louisville's Kosuke Nakanishi 6-4, 6-3 on Court 4, securing a 4-1 victory for Wake Forest.

Louisville 7, Bellarmine 0

The day's second match began with some tight doubles play. Miguel Avedaño and Andre' Steinbach defeated Vineet Ramesh and Matthew Nice 6-4 on Court 2, followed by Enrique Peña and Hamza El Amine besting Louie Fletcher and Eli Wood 6-3 on Court 1, clinching the doubles point for the Cards.

Louisville stayed hot as the match moved into singles play, with Piet Steveker defeating Brent Reynolds 6-2, 6-3 on Court 5.

Mayew quickly followed with a 6-1, 6-3 win on Court 2 over Nice, and Peña bested Fletcher on Court 6 by a score of 6-2, 6-2 to seal the match for the Cards.

All courts played out their matches for the evening, and the next to finish was Kosuke Nakanishi, who defeated Wood on Court 4, 6-2, 3-6, 10-7.

Rodrigues downed Jack Batchelor 6-3, 3-6, 10-3 on Court 1, and on Court 3, Avedaño came back to take down Ramesh, 7-6 (7-2), 7-5, clinching the 7-0 sweep for Louisville.

The Cards will remain at home to face three opponents next weekend. Louisville faces No. 63 Virginia Tech on Friday, March 28 at 4 p.m. to kick things off. Sunday, March 30 features a double header for the Cards, as they host No. 6 Virginia at 12 p.m. and Tennessee State at 5 p.m., with all of the weekend's action being played at the Bass Rudd Tennis Center.

No. 1 Wake Forest 4, Louisville
Singles Competition
1. Will Mayew (LOU) def. #6 DK Suresh Ekambaram (WF) 6-3 6-4
2. #67 Ioannis Xilas (WF) def. Natan Rodrigues (LOU) 6-2 6-3
3. Charlie Robertson (WF) def. Andre Steinbach (LOU) 6-4 6-1
4. Luca Pow (WF) def. Kosuke Nakanishi (LOU) 6-4 6-3
5. Hamza El Amine (LOU) vs. Joaquin Guilleme (WF) 6-2 4-5, unfinished
6. Piet Steveker (LOU) vs. Franco Capalbo (WF) 1-6 6-5, unfinished

Doubles Competition
1 #40 DK Suresh Ekambaram and Charlie Robertson (WF) def. Kosuke Nakanishi and Andre Steinbach (LOU) 7-5
2. Hamza El Amine and Natan Rodrigues (LOU) def. #3 Luca Pow and Luciano Tacchi (WF) 6-3
3. Franco Capalbo and Ioannis Xilas (WF) def. Miguel Avendano and Will Mayew (LOU) 6-4

Match Notes
Order of finish: Singles -- 3 1 2 4 ; Doubles -- 3 2 1

Louisville 7, Bellarmine 0
Singles Competition
1. Natan Rodrigues (LOU) def. Jack Batchelor (BELL) 6-3 3-6 10-3
2. Will Mayew (LOU) def. Matthew Nice (BELL) 6-1 6-3
3. Miguel Avendano (LOU) def. Vineet Ramesh (BELL) 7-6 7-5
4. Kosuke Nakanishi (LOU) def. Eli Wood (BELL) 6-2 3-6 10-7
5. Piet Steveker (LOU) def. Brent Reynolds (BELL) 6-2 6-3
6. Enrique Pena (LOU) def. Louie Fletcher (BELL) 6-2 6-2

Doubles Competition
1. Hamza El Amine and Enrique Pena (LOU) def. Louie Fletcher and Eli Wood (BELL) 6-3
2. Miguel Avendano and Andre Steinbach (LOU) def. Matthew Nice and Vineet Ramesh (BELL) 6-4
3. Russell Lokko and Piet Steveker (LOU) vs. Jack Batchelor and Brent Reynolds (BELL) 5-4, unfinished

Match Notes
Order of finish:
Singles -- 5 2 6 4 1 3 ; Doubles -- 2 1