Blue Devils Drop 4-3 Decision to No. 2 Kentucky

Sunday, February 12

Lexington, Ky.

12 p.m.

Duke University

[2] Kentucky

Michael Heller competes against Illinois

Blue Devils Drop 4-3 Decision to No. 2 Kentucky

2/12/2023 6:41:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Duke men's tennis battled No. 2 Kentucky on Sunday afternoon but dropped a 4-3 hard-fought decision to the Wildcats at Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex.

Kentucky remains undefeated on the year at 10-0, while the Blue Devils dip to 6-4.

How It Happened

For the second-straight outing, Duke won the doubles point to earn the early 1-0 edge.
Senior Garrett Johns and freshman Pedro Rodenas made quick work of Alexandre LeBlanc and Jaden Weekes on court two, 6-3, to begin the match.
The senior duo of Michael Heller and Andrew Zhang then secured the doubles point after they defeated Alafia Ayeni and Liam Draxl, 6-4, on the top court.
The match between sophomore Connor Krug and rookie Teddy Truwit against Joshua Lapadat and JJ Mercer on court three went unfinished with the teams knotted at 5-5.
The home side tied the overall match up at one all after No. 16 Lapadat handed No. 88 Rodenas his first loss of the dual season 6-1, 6-2 on court three.
Kentucky jumped in front 3-1 following two additional victories on court two and one. No. 45 Draxl bested Zhang on court two 7-5, 6-1, before No. 66 Ayeni recorded 7-5, 6-3 wins over No. 6 Johns on court one.
The Wildcats then clinched the overall win on court four when No. 115 Taha Baadi defeated Connor Krug 6-4, 7-6 (2).
Despite Kentucky already securing the win, Duke continued to battle and claimed wins on the final two courts. Junior Andrew Dale remained undefeated in dual singles action after posting a three-set super tiebreak win over No. 57 Charlelie Cosnet on court five. Dale tallied a 6-2 victory in the opening set but dropped the second 6-1. Dale then rebounded for a 10-8 super tiebreak win in the third frame for his third win of the year.
Heller recorded Duke's last win on court six over Mercer in three sets. The senior bested Mercer 7-6 (4) in the first frame but dropped a 6-1 decision in the second. The Boca Raton, Fla., native bounced back for a gutsy 10-8 tiebreak win in the third for his second consecutive win.

Notes

Dale recorded his first victory of the year over a nationally ranked opponent and improves to 3-0 in dual singles action.
Heller and Zhang shift to 5-1 in dual doubles play and have now won three consecutive matches.
Johns and Rodenas secured their sixth doubles win of the year.

Quotes
"We lost a tough battle today to a very good team on the road. We played our most complete doubles point of the season which was very encouraging. Kentucky did an impressive job regaining momentum, and we lost a few very tight first sets in singles. Happy for (Andrew) Dale and (Michael) Heller to dig in and pull out two big wins for us. Ultimately, we came up just short and I give Kentucky a lot or credit. We're going to continue to build as a team and our goal is to be playing our best tennis toward the end of the season." – Duke head coach Ramsey Smith on his thoughts from the match.

Next Match
The Blue Devils have an open week before welcoming Boston College and Charlotte to Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center on Feb. 24 and 25. Duke begins ACC play when the Eagles come to town on Friday for a 3 p.m. matchup. The Blue Devils will conclude the weekend with an out-of-conference contest against the 49ers on Saturday at 1 p.m. Live stats and video will be available for both matches.

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. Michael Heller/Andrew Zhang (DU) def. Alafia Ayeni/Liam Draxl (UK) 6-4
2. Garrett Johns/Pedro Rodenas (DU) def. Alexandre LeBlanc/Jaden Weekes (UK) 6-3
3. Joshua Lapadat/JJ Mercer (UK) vs. Connor Krug/Teddy Truwit (DU) 5-5, unfinished

Singles (3,2,1,4*,5,6)
1. #66 Alafia Ayeni (UK) def. #6 Garrett Johns (DU) 7-5, 6-3
2. #45 Liam Draxl (UK) def. Andrew Zhang (DU) 7-5, 6-1
3. #16 Joshua Lapadat (UK) def. #88 Pedro Rodenas (DU) 6-1, 6-2
4. #115 Taha Baadi (UK) def. Connor Krug (DU) 6-4, 7-6 (7-2)
5. Andrew Dale (DU) def. #57 Charlelie Cosnet (UK) 6-2, 1-6, 1-0 (10-8)
6. Michael Heller (DU) def. JJ Mercer (UK) 7-6 (7-4), 1-6, 1-0 (10-8)

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