Duke Falls to South Florida in NCAA Team Championship First Round

Saturday, May 8

Gainesville, Fla.

10 a.m.

Duke University

South Florida

Duke Falls to South Florida in NCAA Team Championship First Round

5/8/2021 3:02:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 32 Duke dropped a 4-2 decision to No. 31 South Florida on Saturday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Men's Tennis Team Championship at Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex.

With the loss, the Blue Devils conclude their team season with an overall record of 12-11. Duke will still send its top doubles duo in senior Sean Sculley and sophomore Garrett Johns to the 2021 NCAA Doubles Championship, which runs from May 23-28 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla. The Bulls (17-9) advance to Sunday's second round and will face the winner of the No. 2 Florida-South Alabama match.

Michael Heller and Andrew Zhang claimed the first of three doubles matches to begin the day. The pair defeated Rithvik Bollipalli and Antonio Muniz 6-3 on court two to give the Blue Devils a slight edge. Unfortunately, the Bulls responded with 6-2 victories on court one and court three, respectively, to ultimately secure the doubles point. Ivan Yatsuk and Chase Ferguson pulled the upset on No. 20 Sculley and Johns on the main court before Manuel Goncalves and Alvin Tudorica bested Luca Keist and Andrew Dale on court three.

No. 76 Johns tied the overall match up at 1-1 though when he took down No. 47 Jakub Wojcik on the top court to kick off singles action. Johns recorded 6-1, 6-4 wins to finish his singles season with an overall mark of 10-9.

Muniz and No. 63 Ferguson then registered wins on court four and court two, respectively, to put South Florida back on top at 3-1. Muniz bested Edu Güell 6-4, 6-4, while Ferguson defeated Sculley 6-2, 6-4.

Zhang cut the deficit down to 3-2 when he defeated Yatsuk on court three. Zhang claimed the 7-6 (3) tiebreak win in set one but Yatsuk responded with a 6-1 victory in the second. Zhang then battled back to again register a tiebreak win at 7-6 (5) to earn Duke's second point on the day.

Unfortunately, Duke saw Pierre Luquet beat Keist in three sets on court five to claim the overall victory for the Bulls. Luquet earned a 6-1 win in the opening set but Keist answered with a 7-5 victory in the second. Luquet then broke the tie with a 6-3 win in the third set to end the overall match and hand South Florida its final point needed.

Dale's match with Sergio Gomez Montesa went unfinished on court six. Dale dropped a 6-1 decision during the opening set but posted a 6-4 win in the second. The freshman was leading 5-4 in the third frame when the match was halted.

RESULTS
Singles (1,4,2,3,5)
1. #76 Garrett Johns (DU) def. #47 Jakub Wojcik (USF) 6-1, 6-4
2. #63 Chase Ferguson (USF) def. Sean Sculley (DU) 6-2, 6-4
3. Andrew Zhang (DU) def. Ivan Yatsuk (USF) 7-6 (7-3), 1-6, 7-6 (7-5)
4. Antonio Muniz (USF) def. Edu Güell (DU) 6-4, 6-4
5. Pierre Luquet (USF) def. Luca Keist (DU) 6-1, 5-7, 6-3
6. Sergio Gomez Montesa (USF) vs. Andrew Dale (DU) 6-1, 4-6, 4-5, unfinished

Doubles (2,1,3)
1. Ivan Yatsuk/Chase Ferguson (USF) def. #20 Garrett Johns/Sean Sculley (DU) 6-2
2. Michael Heller/Andrew Zhang (DU) def. Rithvik Bollipalli/Antonio Muniz (USF) 6-3
3. Manuel Goncalves/Alvin Tudorica (USF) def. Luca Keist/Andrew Dale (DU) 6-2

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