Petrone, Tar Heels Upend Wake in Home Finale

But not as nervous as Tar Heel men's tennis coach Sam Paul.

"It was an emotional day," Paul said. "I get choked up just thinking about him and what he's done for this program."

But Petrone, the Tar Heels' No. 1 player, rose to the task Wednesday, leading No. 29 UNC to a 4-3 win against No. 23 Wake Forest at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.

The win was the fifth straight for the Tar Heels (13-4, 4-0 in the ACC) and their second straight against a higher-ranked team.

Wednesday's match, however, wasn't about moving up in the collegiate rankings. The day belonged to Petrone, the team captain and lone senior.

"Marcio has been a great leader for this team," said Nicholas Monroe, UNC's No. 4 player. "He has definitely taken us to another level."

So it was only fitting that Petrone, after losing in doubles, elevated his game to beat Wake's David Lowenthal 6-4, 6-1.

"Last year, when I played No. 1, I played too big because of the competition," Petrone said. "But now I am playing within myself and staying focused."

After the Demon Deacons (14-3, 4-2) won the doubles point in under an hour, UNC spent the next hour winning the first four singles matches to clinch the conference victory. Monroe said the team just had to refocus before playing singles.

"We knew we weren't playing great tennis," Monroe said. "But we also knew that Wake was good and that it would take a great effort to get the win, and we did."

Said Petrone, "We're pretty deep in singles, so I knew we could come back."

Monroe was the first player to finish his singles match, beating Mike Murray 6-3, 6-1. After Petrone's victory, Daniel Pinchbeck won at No. 3 before Andrew Metzler clinched the match with a 6-4, 6-2 win against Wake's Justin Kaufmann at No. 6 singles.

The Deacons picked up their other two points with victories at the No. 2 and No. 5 singles spots.

Paul said the win was crucial as the Tar Heels try to stay even in the conference with Duke, also 4-0 in ACC play.

"I told them how disappointed I was after losing doubles," Paul said. "But to get four points against them after the doubles loss was really good."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.