DURHAM – No. 13 Duke men’s tennis advanced to the NCAA Team Championship round of 16 after its 4-1 victory over No. 20 Alabama on Saturday afternoon.
With the win, the Blue Devils advanced to the second weekend of the national tournament in consecutive years for the first time since doing so in 2012 and 2013. Saturday’s win also marked Duke’s seventh victory this season over a top-25 opponent.
The Blue Devils (20-9) next face No. 4 TCU in the NCAA Tournament round of 16 on Saturday, May 11 at 4 pm (3 pm CT) at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center. Alabama closed its season with an 18-13 ledger.
graduate student Andrew Zhang earned his sixth match-clinching victory of the year to help Duke record his 14th home victory of the season.
How It Happened
- For the fourth consecutive match, the Blue Devils recorded the double point following wins on court three and one, respectively. Faris Khan and Teddy Truwit made quick work of Roan Jones and Andrii Zimnokh on court three to register the 6-1 win. The No. 1 ranked doubles team of Garrett Johns and Pedro Rodenas then clinched the point after defeating No. 51 Enzo Aguiard and Zach Foster, 6-3, on the top court for their 12th-straight doubles victory. The match on court two between Michael Heller and Zhang against Filip Planinsek and Matic Dimic went unfinished with the contest tied at 4-4.
- No. 43 Rodenas extended Duke’s edge to 2-0 early in singles play when he bested Matias Ponce De Leon on court two 6-2, 6-2.
- On court four, Connor Krug pulled the upset over No. 106 Aguiard in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 to increase the Blue Devils’ lead to 3-0.
- The Crimson Tide earned their lone point on court five after Jones beat Khan 6-4, 6-2.
- Zhang then secured the overall match for the home side on court three following his 6-4, 6-4 victory over Zimnokh.
- The matches on court one and six went unfinished.
notes
- Duke’s 14 home victories in 2024 marked the sixth-most in program history.
- For the 27th time in school lore, the Blue Devils have earned 20-plus wins in a single season.
- Duke concluded his home slate riding a five-winning match streak.
- The Blue Devils posted their 29th home victory in the NCAA Tournament (29-3) and 52nd overall win in the postseason event (52-30).
- Duke had now won nine of his last 11 matches.
- The Blue Devils won five of the opening six sets in single action.
- Duke has claimed 21 double points this season.
- Zhang is now tied with Johns for a team-leading six match-clinching victories on the year and has 14 career match-clinching wins.
- Johns and Rodenas improved to 20-3 in dual doubles matches, including 14-2 against nationally ranked opponents.
- Rodenas recorded his team-leading 18th dual singles victory of the year.
Quotes
“It feels great. I’m just so excited for the guys. We’ve put a lot into this year to position ourselves to host, which obviously gives us an advantage. I thought we played great today. It was a big step up From yesterday, Doubles was phenomenal and really set the tone. I thought we did a great job of managing the adversity and the switch from outdoors to indoors and we just prepared ourselves really well knowing that it was a possibility heading into the match. nice job then of finishing things off.” –Duke head coach Ramsey Smith on his overall thoughts from the match
“Chemistry is a massive piece. Not only players that their games complement each other well but just their energy and chemistry and we have that with all three of those teams. We got up to early breaks on all three courts, which really set the tone Teddy [Truwit] and Faris [Khan] they were just shot out of a cannon. They have the best energy out of all of our teams and they have so much fun playing together. It was really tight the first couple games and I think they came back from a 40-0 game to break and then after that they just put their foot on the gas. Then we have the No. 1 team in the country so that always puts us in a good position.” – Duke head coach Ramsey Smith on what makes each of his double teams special
“We did a great job across the board. Their No. 5 played extremely well against Faris [Khan], who’s been playing really well, but the guy just outplayed him today. But it was one of those things where we didn’t need him today and I love seeing other guys step up. A big focus has been [Alexnader] Visser and Connor [Krug] and both of those guys played amazing. If our bottom half of the lineup is playing like that I know we can compete with anybody.” – Duke head coach Ramsey Smith on the team coming out and being ready to play from the start
“I’m super excited. We had a goal of advancing again to the round of 16 and we did that so I’m really excited for the next round to see what we can do. I love this group of guys so much.” –Duke redshirt senior Garrett Johns on his thoughts on advancing to the super regional round.
“I think we just try not to take it too seriously and just have fun out there. That’s when we play our best. He’s one of the most talented guys I’ve ever played with so it’s always cool to see what kind of shots he’s “I’m going to hit.” –Duke redshirt senior Garrett Johns on what makes him and his doubles teammate Pedro Rodenas so good
“I’m pretty emotional since it’s my last home match playing for Duke. These last five years have meant so much to me. I’ve built so many relationships and have developed so much as a tennis player. I played a great match against a tough opponent and credit to Alabama they give us a dog fight today.” – Duke graduate student Andrew Zhang on his thoughts from the match
“The sweet sixteen is great but we want more. We’re hungry for more so we’re going to get rested up and get a good week of practice in and try to upset TCU on their home courts.” – Duke graduate student Andrew Zhang on advancing the rough of 16
NextMatch
The Blue Devils advance to the super regional match where they will travel to face fourth-ranked TCU on Saturday, May 11 at 4 pm (3 pm CT) at Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center. The Horned Frogs defeated No. 67 UC Irvine and No. 35 Cornell 4-0 in their first and second round matches in Fort Worth, Texas.
Results
Doubles (3.1*)
eleven Garrett Johns/Pedro Rodenas (DU) def. #51 Enzo Aguiard/Zach Foster (UA) 6-3
2. Michael Heller/Andrew Zhang (DU) vs. Filip Planinsek/Matic Dimic (UA) 4-4, unfinished
3. Faris Khan/Teddy Truwit (DU) def. Roan Jones/Andrii Zimnokh (UA) 6-1
Singles (2,4,5,3*)
1. #21 Garrett Johns (DU) vs. #29 Filip Planinsek (UA) 7-5, 3-6, unfinished
2. #43 Pedro Rodenas (DU) def. Matias Ponce De Leon (UA) 6-2, 6-2
3. Andrew Zhang (DU) def. Andrii Zimnokh (UA) 6-4, 6-4
4. Connor Krug (DU) def. #106 Enzo Aguiard (UA) 6-4, 6-4
5. Roan Jones (UA) def. Faris Khan (DU) 6-4, 6-2
6. Alexander Visser (DU) vs. Zach Foster (UA) 6-4, 6-5, unfinished
To stay up to date with Blue Devils men’s tennis, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching “https://goduke.com/news/2024/5/4/DukeMTEN”.
Duke Centennial
In 2024, Duke celebrates its Centennial, marking one hundred years since Trinity College became Duke University. Duke will use this historic milestone to deepen the understanding of its history, inspire pride and strengthen bonds and partnerships, and prepare for a second century of continued excellence and impactful leadership. To learn more, please visit 100.duke.edu
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