Old Gold and Black Reporter
Each year, the Rolex Region 2 Qualifier ushers out the men's tennis fall season. The tournament, held in Chapel Hill, is a prestigious event which gathers together the top players from throughout the region.
The Demon Deacon men's tennis team sent three representatives to the tournament this year. Due to strong performance in the fall season, freshman Daniel Merkert, junior Josh Osswald and senior Michael Stump were invited to participate. Each of the Deacons played in singles competition, and Merkert and Stump combined to form a doubles pair.
For the second tournament in a row, the best performance came from the duo of Merkert and Stump. In advancing to the finals of the doubles bracket, the combination established themselves as legitimate doubles contenders.
Along the way, Merkert and Stump defeated DeWingt and Rowe of James Madison as well as Britt and Tedesco of North Carolina. Their greatest triumph came against the tournament's No. 1 seed and No. 2 nationally ranked combo from Duke, Ayers and Chess. Merkert and Stump edged the highly-ranked duo, 7-6, 7-6.
The finals demanded more of the Demon Deacon duo than they could muster. "Both Daniel and Michael had a long day going into the match," Head Coach Ian Crookenden said. "We were just lacking a bit of adrenaline." As a result, Merkert and Stump faltered, 6-4, 7-6, to Li and Springlemayer of Clemson.
Individually, Merkert and Stump both made it to the quarterfinals of the singles competition. Merkert was the No. 2 seed in his bracket. In evaluating the singles performances, Crookenden was impressed by the parity within the region.
"It is indicative of the strength of our region that both the No. 1 and 3 seeds were gone after the first day," he said.
Also a victim to the regional parity was Osswald, who lost in the first round. Playing against Duke's highly-touted freshman Wayne Goetz, Osswald did not manage to advance to the next round.
Crookenden also commented on Merkert's outstanding fall season and his future as Demon Deacon. "Undoubtedly, he is going to become one of the highest-ranked players in Wake Forest history," he said. Crookenden believes that Merkert will achieve a national ranking in the upcoming poll.
The men's tennis team has shown vast improvement this fall season. The emergence of Merkert, in addition to the strong nucleus of players like Osswald and Stump, should make the Demon Deacons a competitive team this coming spring season. Crookenden is especially optimistic about the prospects for the regular season. "We are looking to have an outstanding spring," he said.