Duke Defeats No. 7 Wake Forest, 4-1

Friday, April 12

Winston-Salem, N.C.

4 p.m.

Duke University

Wake Forest

Duke Defeats No. 7 Wake Forest, 4-1

4/12/2024 11:22:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – No. 14 Duke men's tennis posted a thrilling 4-1 victory over No. 7 Wake Forest at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex on Friday night.

Redshirt senior Garrett Johns secured the upset win for the Blue Devils on the main court when he bested No. 29 Filippo Moroni in three sets. The Atlanta, Ga., native now has a team-leading six match-clinching victories this season, including two over top-15 opponents.

With the win, Duke shifts to 17-7 overall and 9-2 in ACC play, while Wake Forest drops to 24-5 and 9-2, respectively.

How It Happened

The home side started doubles play with a 6-3 victory on court three after Luciano Tacchi and Luca Pow bested Faris Khan and Teddy Truwit. Duke's graduate student pairing of No. 56 Michael Heller and Andrew Zhang knotted the score at 1-1 after they defeated Moroni and Matthew Thomson, 7-5, on court two. With the doubles point coming down to the outcome on the top court, No. 3 Johns and Pedro Rodenas outlasted No. 1 DK Suresh Ekambaram and Holden Koons, 7-6 (2), for their 10th nationally ranked win of the season.
No. 44 Rodenas extended Duke's edge to 2-0 early in singles play when he earned a 6-0, 6-4 straight set win over No. 69 Suresh Ekambaram on court two.
The Demon Deacons cut the lead in half after No. 116 Tacchi bested Connor Krug on court four 6-3, 7-6 (6).
Rookie Alexander Visser notched the Blue Devils' third point on court five following his three-set victory over Koons. The Westport, Conn., native tallied a 6-2 win in his opening set but dropped his second, 6-0. He bounced back in the third frame for a 6-4 victory for his 10th dual win of the year.
No. 24 Johns then clinched the match for the visitors on court one when he secured his ninth nationally ranked win of the season. He posted a 6-4 victory in the first set but dropped the second frame, 6-4. Fortunately, Johns rebounded in the final frame for a 6-3 win to record the victory.
The matches on court three and six went unfinished with both contests in a third set.

Notes

Duke is riding a six-match winning streak.
The Blue Devils improved to 6-4 against top-25 opponents this season and handed the Demon Deacons their first home loss of the year.
Johns now has 16 career match-clinching wins.
Johns has won four-straight contests, while Rodenas has been victorious in his last six outings.
Duke's top doubles pairing of Johns and Rodenas earned their 16th dual win of the year and improved to 10-2 against nationally ranked foes.
The duo has won eight-straight contests.

Quotes
"This was an awesome effort from my team, and I am extremely proud of the toughness, grit, and unity we showed today. Wake Forest is such a great team and it's a tough ask to beat them, especially on their home courts. We handled the conditions extremely well and we handled adversity on all six courts extremely well. We will enjoy this win and then reset for another big opportunity on Sunday. I am very pleased with how we are coming together at the right time." – Duke head coach Ramsey Smith on his thoughts from the match

Next Match
The Blue Devils close out their regular season slate traveling to NC State on Sunday for a noon matchup with the Wolfpack at J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center.

Results
Doubles (3,2,1*)
1. #3 Johns, Garrett/Rodenas, Pedro (DU) def. #1 DK Suresh Ekambaram/Holden Koons (WFU) 7-6 (7-2)
2. #56 Heller, Michael/Zhang, Andrew (DU) def. Filippo Moroni/Matthew Thomson (WFU) 7-5
3. Luciano Tacchi/Luca Pow (WFU) def. Khan, Faris/Truwit, Teddy (DU) 6-3

Singles (2,4,5,1*)
1. #24 Johns, Garrett (DU) def. #29 Filippo Moroni (WFU) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
2. #44 Rodenas, Pedro (DU) def. #69 DK Suresh Ekambaram (WFU) 6-0, 6-4
3. Matthew Thomson (WFU) vs. Zhang, Andrew (DU) 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 2-2, unfinished
4. #116 Luciano Tacchi (WFU) def. Krug, Connor (DU) 6-3, 7-6 (8-6)
5. Visser, Alexander (DU) def. Holden Koons (WFU) 6-2, 0-6, 6-4
6. Luca Pow (WFU) vs. Khan, Faris (DU) 7-5, 5-7, 2-1, unfinished

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