Upcoming Event: Men's Tennis versus North Carolina on April 11, 2026 at 1 p.m.
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1 p.m.
Men's Tennis
vs North Carolina
Duke, No. 6 UNC Renew Rivalry Thursday
2/27/2019 2:00:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Match 11
Duke (5-5) vs. No. 6 North Carolina (7-2)
Thursday, February 28 l 3:00 p.m.
Chapel Hill, N.C. | Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center
DURHAM, N.C. – After two-straight home wins, the Duke men's tennis team heads to No. 6 North Carolina Thursday to open up conference play at 3 p.m. at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.
Smith Earns No. 200
In last Saturday's 5-2 home victory over Coastal Carolina, Ramsey Smith earned his 200th career victory as head coach of the Blue Devils. Smith, who now owns a 200-98 (.671) overall record, became just the second coach in Duke men's tennis history to reach 200 wins (Jay Lapidus/371).
Back on Track
After dropping four-straight decisions, the Blue Devils are winners of two straight and improved their record to 5-5 on the year. Duke swept North Carolina Central (7-0) and defeated Coastal Carolina (5-2) at home, improving its home record to 4-0 on the year.
Battle of the Blues x2
For the second time this season, the Blue Devils square off against the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill. These two teams met on January 26 in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend Championship at UNC, with the Tar Heels prevailing, 4-1.
Duke This Season
The Blue Devils earned their fifth doubles point of the season last week against Coastal Carolina. Senior Jason Lapidus is 6-3 overall and holds a 4-1 record at No. 2 doubles with sophomore Sean Sculley. Lapidus and Sculley earned a thrilling 7-6 (12-10) victory against the Tar Heels last month at number two doubles, giving Duke its first doubles point against UNC since the 2015 ACC Tournament. In singles play, junior Spencer Furman holds a 5-5 record, including a 4-5 mark at the number two spot. Senior Vincent Lin is 4-3 on the season, with two wins and no losses at number four singles.
Stachowiak Ranked
Junior Nick Stachowiak comes in at No. 37 in the recent ITA/Oracle singles rankings. Stachowiak is 6-1 at number one singles on the season and has won four-straight decisions. He also boasts a 4-3 number one doubles record.
History Against North Carolina
In a rivalry that dates back to 1912, UNC leads the series 91-40. The Tar Heels have won seven-straight decisions. The last time these two teams met in Chapel Hill for an ACC bout was in March of 2017.
Scouting the Tar Heels
North Carolina enters the match 7-2 overall and is currently ranked sixth in the nation. Its losses come at the hand of Texas (5-2) on the road and Wake Forest (4-2) in the ITA National Team Indoor Semifinals. UNC has four players ranked in the ITA/Oracle singles top 125, including Joshua Peck (No. 48), Benjamin Siguoin (No. 52), William Blumberg (No. 68) and Brian Cernoch (No. 100). Siguoin holds a 6-2 record in singles while Blaine Boyden is 7-1 in singles play. The duo of Mac Kiger and Simon Soendergaard are a perfect 4-0 at number three doubles. The match against Duke will be the first for the Tar Heels since February 17 (Wake Forest).
Smith's Take
“It's exciting to start ACC play and the second half of our season,” said Smith. “We are fortunate to play in the toughest conference in the country where every week you get great challenges and opportunities. Obviously we are starting off strong this week with two top-five teams right off the bat.”
Up Next
Duke hosts the number two team in the country, Wake Forest, on Sunday, March 3 at 1 p.m. in Ambler Tennis Stadium.
#GoDuke
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