Duke Downs No. 38 Louisville, 6-1

Friday, March 29

Durham, N.C.

5 p.m.

Duke University

Louisville

Duke Downs No. 38 Louisville, 6-1

3/29/2024 11:17:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score

DURHAM – No. 14 Duke men's tennis earned its 10th home win following a 6-1 victory over No. 38 Louisville at Ambler Tennis Stadium on Friday night.

Graduate student Andrew Zhang recorded his third consecutive match-clinching win in as many contests after he bested Andrew Steinbach in three sets on court three. The Bloomfield Hills, Mich., native now has a team-leading five match-clinching victories this season.

With the win, Duke improves to 14-7 overall and 6-2 in ACC play, while Louisville drops to 13-9 and 2-5, respectively.

How It Happened

Steinbach and Matthew Fung quickly handed the Cardinals the early edge in doubles action after the duo defeated Faris Khan and Teddy Truwit on court three, 6-3. The Blue Devils would not falter though, as No. 25 Michael Heller and Zhang evened the score following a come-from behind victory on court two. The duo faced a 4-1 deficit to Will Mayew and Enrique Pena but settled in to win five-straight games to earn the 6-4 victory. With the doubles point coming down to the outcome on court one, No. 6 Garrett Johns and Pedro Rodenas outlasted No. 9 Etienne Donnet and Natan Rodrigues, 7-5, to secure the point.
No. 30 Johns extended the Blue Devils' lead to 2-0 after beating No. 45 Donnet in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 on the main court.
No. 52 Rodenas followed suit on court two when he defeated Rodrigues 7-6 (4), 6-2 to increase Duke's advantage to 3-0.
Zhang then clinched the match for Duke on court three when he bested Steinbach in three sets. Zhang posted a 6-1 victory in his opening set but dropped the second 6-4. The graduate student then rebounded for a 6-0 win in the final frame to secure the win.
Junior Jake Krug gave Duke a 5-0 edge after his 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 wins over Miguel Avendano on court six.
The Cardinals earned their lone point of the night on court four when No. 90 Mayew edged Connor Krug 2-6, 6-4, 7-5.
In the final match, freshman Alexander Visser posted 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 victories over Kouske Nakanishi.

Notes

Zhang earned his fifth match-clinching win of the season and the 13th of his career.
He improved to 10-4 on court three, 6-2 in ACC play, and is riding a three match-winning streak in singles action.
Rodenas has also won three consecutive singles matches and shifts to 11-8 in dual action, including an 8-6 mark on court two.
Duke's top doubles duo of Johns and Rodenas earned their 13th win of the year and improve to 7-2 against nationally ranked foes.

Quotes
"It was a great overall team effort and I just thought we competed well. We got down in doubles at the two spot and we were in a hole there, but we battled back and just did a really good job of digging in and finding a way to win the doubles point. Then singles were a battle. I know the final score was 6-1 but a lot of close matches. I felt like they really grabbed some momentum there for a while right before the end of Pedro's first set, but I thought we did a great job at five and six flipping those matches. Losing very tough first sets that were frustrating, but we just went right back to work. [Alexander] Visser and Jake [Krug] stepped up and were able to keep it rolling in the third set. Overall, it was just a great collective competing effort from the guys, and it was also a lot of fun playing at night. It was a cool atmosphere and a great crowd, and I loved the way we finished." – Duke head coach Ramsey Smith on his thoughts from the match

"He's just so consistent with what he does. It starts in practice every single day and his mindset. You always know what you're going to get from him, and he always gives himself a change. Even when he loses and when he does lose it takes a really long time. His opponent got really hot in the second and won a very tough second set, but he didn't get flustered at all, didn't need to take a break, he just put his head down and got up early and won a big match for us. He's just so consistent and a special player." – Duke head coach Ramsey Smith on Andrew Zhang's performance on Friday

"I'd like us to be a little sharper in doubles. Three has been really solid for us, but they had an off day today, which happens so we're going to work on that. In singles, there are a couple areas where each guy can get a little bit better but again overall really pleased with how well we competed. All these matches are big wins and I feel like we're building some really good team momentum toward the end of the regular season." – Duke head coach Ramsey Smith on what improvements he'd like to see from his team on Sunday

"It's always a great feeling when you can clinch a match for a team, let alone three in a row. I feel like I'm playing some great tennis right now so I'm just trying to keep the momentum going for not only myself but for the team as well." – Duke graduate student Andrew Zhang on clinching the wins in Duke's last three matches

"A lot of my matches go three sets so I'm kind of used to going three. I just try to get quick bursts of energy to start the third, so I thought I did that really well tonight. Then I just kept the gas on during the set and luckily I was able to pull this one out tonight." – Duke graduate student Andrew Zhang on his three-set victory

Next Match
The Blue Devils welcome No. 52 Notre Dame on Sunday for a noon match at Ambler Tennis Stadium. The Fighting Irish are coming off a 4-0 loss to North Carolina on Friday evening.

Results
Doubles (3,2,1*)
1. #6 Garrett Johns/Pedro Rodenas (DU) def. #9 Etienne Donnet/Natan Rodrigues (LOU-MT) 7-5
2. #25 Michael Heller/Andrew Zhang (DU) def. Will Mayew/Enrique Pena (LOU-MT) 6-4
3. Andre' Steinbach/Matthew Fung (LOU-MT) def. Faris Khan/Teddy Truwit (DU) 6-3

Singles (1,2,3*,6,4,5)
1. #30 Garrett Johns (DU) def. #45 Etienne Donnet (LOU-MT) 6-4, 6-4
2. #52 Pedro Rodenas (DU) def. Natan Rodrigues (LOU-MT) 7-6 (7-4), 6-2
3. Andrew Zhang (DU) def. Andre' Steinbach (LOU-MT) 6-1, 4-6, 6-0
4. #90 Will Mayew (LOU-MT) def. Connor Krug (DU) 2-6, 6-4, 7-5
5. Alexander Visser (DU) def. Kosuke Nakanishi (LOU-MT) 5-7, 6-2, 6-4
6. Jake Krug (DU) def. Miguel Avendano (LOU-MT) 5-7, 6-1, 6-2

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

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