Duke Wraps Up ITA Kickoff Weekend with Win over No. 23 Auburn

Saturday, January 28

Winston-Salem, N.C.

1 p.m.

Duke University

[23] Auburn

Duke Wraps Up ITA Kickoff Weekend with Win over No. 23 Auburn

1/28/2023 5:37:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – No. 19 Duke men's tennis earned its first win over a top-25 opponent this season when it bested No. 23 Auburn, 4-0, on Saturday afternoon at the Wake Forest Indoor Tennis Center.

Duke improves to 4-2 on the season, while the Tigers fall to 3-2.

How It Happened

The Duke pair of senior Garrett Johns and freshman Pedro Rodenas earned the Blue Devils' first victory in doubles action after they defeated Jan Galka and Billy Blaydes, 6-2, on the top court.
No. 49 Michael Heller and Andrew Zhang then followed suit with a 6-3 win over Finn Murgett and Raul Dobai on court two to secure the overall doubles point. Zhang earned the final point of the match off an ace.
The match between junior Faris Khan and sophomore Connor Krug against Tyler Stice and Alejandro Moreno went unfinished with the teams knotted at 5-5.
Sophomore Jake Krug got things started for Duke in singles play when he bested Blaydes 6-4, 6-2 on court six for his fourth win of the season.
No. 4 Johns made it 3-0 in favor of the Blue Devils after his 7-5, 6-3 victory on the top court over No. 66 Stice.
Rookie No. 84 Rodenas then clinched the match for Duke following a three-set victory over Galka. The Tigers claimed a 7-5 win in the opening set, but Rodenas battled back to register 6-2, 6-1 wins in the final two frames to record the victory and remain undefeated in dual singles action.
Three singles matches went unfinished on the day. No. 101 Zhang dropped a 6-4 decision to Moreno in the first set on court two but earned a 6-0 victory in the second. The match was tied at 4-4 in the third frame when the contest was halted.
Connor Krug also dropped his opening set to Murgett on court four but just like Zhang he bounced back to record a 6-4 win in the second to force a third frame. The pair were knotted at 3-3 in the final set when the match was called.
Khan defeated Dobai on court five 6-4 in the first frame but fell 6-3 in the second. Khan and Dobai were battling back-and-forth and were all square at 5-5 in the final set when the match was stopped.

Notes

The Blue Devils now hold the 7-3 edge on the all-time series and have won four consecutive over the Tigers.
With wins on Saturday, Rodenas and Johns improve their season dual singles ledger to 6-0 and 5-1, respectively.
The doubles pairing of Johns and Rodenas as well as Heller and Zhang both sit with 3-1 marks in dual doubles action.

Quotes
"I am very proud of the guys for the big bounce back effort today. We made some quick improvements individually and collectively from yesterday, and it showed on the court today. Doubles was much better, and I thought we competed exceptionally well on all six singles courts. Great team effort and important step forward for us early in the season." – Duke head coach Ramsey Smith

Next Match
The Blue Devils are back in Durham for two matches with Big Ten opponents in Illinois and Northwestern next weekend. Duke welcomes the Fighting Illini to Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center on Friday, Feb. 3 for a 6 p.m. match before hosting the Wildcats on Sunday, Feb. 5 at 11 a.m. Live stats and video will be available for both contests.

To stay up to date with Blue Devils men's tennis, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeMTEN".

Results
Doubles (2,1*)
1. #49 Michael Heller/Andrew Zhang (DU) def. Finn Murgett/Raul Dobai (AUB) 6-3
2. Garrett Johns/Pedro Rodenas (DU) def. Jan Galka/Billy Blaydes (AUB) 6-2
3. Faris Khan/Connor Krug (DU) vs. Tyler Stice/Alejandro Moreno (AUB) 5-5, unfinished

Singles (6,1,3*)
1. #4 Garrett Johns (DU) def. #66 Tyler Stice (AUB) 7-5, 6-3
2. #101 Andrew Zhang (DU) vs. Alejandro Moreno (AUB) 4-6, 6-0, 4-4, unfinished
3. #84 Pedro Rodenas (DU) def. Jan Galka (AUB) 5-7, 6-2, 6-1
4. Connor Krug (DU) vs. Finn Murgett (AUB) 4-6, 6-4, 3-3, unfinished
5. Faris Khan (DU) vs. Raul Dobai (AUB) 6-4, 3-6, 5-5, unfinished
6. Jake Krug (DU) def. Billy Blaydes (AUB) 6-4, 6-2

#GoDuke