No. 4 Texas men’s tennis falls 4-2 to No. 1 Wake Forest in season opener

January 22, 2026

Texas began the match with momentum, claiming two of three doubles flights to take an early lead. Sebastian Gorzny and freshman Lucas Marionneau controlled their doubles match, winning 6-1 over Luca Pow and Mees Rottgering. On court one, freshmen Abel Forger and Kalin Ivanovski beat DK Suresh Ekambaram and Charlie Robertson, 6-3, while Lucas Brown and Jonah Braswell fell 2-6 on the other court.

Singles matches shifted the balance toward the Demon Deacons as Wake Forest rallied across most courts. Gorzny provided the Longhorns’ lone singles triumph, beating No. 6-ranked DK Suresh Ekambaram in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4. Gorzny said he had played Ekambaram last season in a tight three-setter and felt good to close that chapter with a straight-sets win this time.

Kalin Ivanovski staged a competitive match against Aryan Shah and pushed the first set back to even, but Shah regained control and won 6-4, 6-3. The back-and-forth on courts one and two drew the largest attention from the crowd, as Ivanovski matched Shah shot for shot early before momentum swung toward the Wake Forest freshman.

Abel Forger, fresh off his doubles victory, met Luca Pow in singles and lost in two sets, 6-4, 6-3. On another court, Eriksson fought back from a first-set deficit and forced a tiebreaker in the second set, but Mees Rottgering closed out the match 6-3, 7-6 after several extended deuces.

After the final points, Texas players gathered courtside to support teammates as the match concluded. Headline results showed a strong doubles performance that the Longhorns can build on, while the singles results highlighted where adjustments will be needed against top competition. Gorzny also spoke about his leadership role on the team, saying he tries to lead by example in practice and matches.

Texas will return to the Texas Tennis Center on Friday to face UNC Wilmington at noon, looking to capitalize on the positives from the Wake Forest matchup and sharpen weaknesses before conference play begins.