Blue Devils Drop 4-0 Decision to No. 20 N.C. State

Friday, April 15

Raleigh, N.C.

6 p.m.

Duke University

[20] N.C. State

Andrew Dale competes against North Carolina

Blue Devils Drop 4-0 Decision to No. 20 N.C. State

4/15/2022 11:40:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score

RALEIGH – No. 19 Duke men's tennis fell Friday night to No. 20 N.C. State, 4-0, in an ACC match at J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center.

The Blue Devils dip to 16-6 on the year and 8-3 in ACC play, while the Wolfpack improve to 17-7 and 6-5, respectively.

"Tough match for us," Duke head coach Ramsey Smith said. "N.C. State outplayed us, and they were the better team tonight. We had a few moments where we could have grabbed the team momentum in singles, but we weren't able to close out sets. I felt we were a bit off, and I needed to have done a better job getting us ready for that match. That is on me."

N.C. State claimed the doubles point after wins on court three and one. No. 38 Robin Catry and Luca Staeheli defeated Faris Khan and Niroop Vallabhaneni on court one, 6-2, to kick off the night. Braden Shick and Collin Shick then bested Andrew Dale and Andrew Zhang, 6-3, on court three to register the 1-0 edge. The match on court two between No. 58 Martins Rocens and Fons Van Sambeek against Garrett Johns and Michael Heller went unfinished with the two teams tied at 5-5.

The Wolfpack quickly made it 2-0 following a win by No. 101 Catry in singles play. Catry posted a 6-3 victory over Khan in the opening set on court four before tallying a 6-1 win in the second to earn the victory. Damien Salvestre extended N.C. State's edge to 3-0 after he beat Edu Güell 6-3, 6-2 on court five. The Wolfpack then secured the overall win on the main court following No. 116 Rafa Izquierdo Luque's 6-2, 6-2 victory over No. 43 Johns.

The three matches on court two, three and six went unfinished. Rocens was leading Zhang after claiming a 7-5 win in the opening frame. Zhang was winning 3-2 in the second though when the match was halted. On court three, Staeheli was ahead after the first set thanks to a 7-5 victory. He was also ahead 5-3 in the second when the match was called. Dale recorded a 6-4 victory in his first set with Braden Shick and was in front 4-2 in the second when the match was stopped.

"The good news is we have a great opportunity to show our reliance and bounce back strong at Wake Forest," Smith added. "It's all about how you finish, and we look forward to finishing strong on Sunday."

The Blue Devils travel to Winston-Salem, N.C., on Sunday for a meeting with the Demon Deacons at 2 p.m. at Wake Forest Tennis Center.

RESULTS
Doubles (1,3*)
1. #38 Robin Catry/Luca Staeheli (ST) def. Niroop Vallabhaneni/Faris Khan (DU) 6-2
2. #58 Martins Rocens/Fons Van Sambeek (ST) vs. Garrett Johns/Michael Heller (DU) 5-5, unfinished
3. Braden Shick/Collin Shick (ST) def. Andrew Zhang/Andrew Dale (DU) 6-3

Singles (4,5,1*)
1. #116 Rafa Izquierdo Luque (ST) def. #43 Garrett Johns (DU) 6-2, 6-2
2. Martins Rocens (ST) vs. Andrew Zhang (DU) 7-5, 2-3, unfinished
3. Luca Staeheli (ST) vs. Connor Krug (DU) 7-5, 5-3, unfinished
4. #101 Robin Catry (ST) def. Faris Khan (DU) 6-3, 6-1
5. Damien Salvestre (ST) def. Edu Güell (DU) 6-3, 6-2
6. Braden Shick (ST) vs. Andrew Dale (DU) 4-6, 2-4, unfinished

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