Duke Edged by No. 23 Northwestern, 4-3

Sunday, February 5

Durham, N.C.

11 a.m.

Duke University

[23] Northwestern

Michael Heller and Andrew Zhang compete in doubles

Duke Edged by No. 23 Northwestern, 4-3

2/5/2023 4:29:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score

DURHAM – No. 25 Duke men's tennis dropped a 4-3 decision to No. 23 Northwestern on Sunday morning at Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center.

The Blue Devils dip to 5-3 on the year, while the Wildcats improve to 5-3.

How It Happened

Michael Heller and Andrew Zhang, the No. 49 doubles team nationally, claimed a 6-4 victory over Ivan Yatsuk and Simen Bratholm on court one to begin doubles action.
Northwestern's Trice Pickens and Natan Spear then earned a 6-4 win over Faris Khan and Niroop Vallabhaneni on court three to pull the doubles point even at one win all.
With the doubles point coming down to the outcome of court two, the Wildcats were able to outlast the Blue Devils as Steven Forman and Felix Nordby registered a 7-5 victory over Garrett Johns and Pedro Rodenas.
Despite trailing 1-0 early, Duke battled back in singles action to jump in front 3-1 after wins by Rodenas, Connor Krug and Zhang.
No. 84 Rodenas made quick work of Bratholm on court three 7-5, 6-4 to shift to 8-0 in singles play during his rookie season.
Connor Krug followed suit with a 7-5, 7-5 victory over No. 110 Pickens on court four for his first win of the season over a ranked opponent.
No. 101 Zhang then made it 3-1 in favor of the home side when he bested No. 97 Yatsuk in three sets. The Bloomfield, Mich., native posted a thrilling 7-6 (3) tiebreak win in the opening set, securing the tiebreak victory on an ace. The senior dropped the second frame, 6-4, but rebounded for a 6-1 victory in the third set to secure his third win of the year.
The Wildcats would not go away though, recording wins over the final three matches to steal the victory, 4-3.

Notes

Rodenas improves to 6-0 on court three and 8-0 overall in singles action.
Heller and Zhang posted their fourth victory in doubles play.

Quotes
"Very tough loss today, but it was a great college tennis match. Dropped the doubles point, but really did a great job of grabbing the momentum early in singles. Was feeling pretty good. We got up 3-1, and we just didn't finish. I am proud of our collective fight, and of Michael (Heller) out there in the end." – Duke head coach Ramsey Smith on his thoughts from the match.

"Pedro (Rodenas) has been great. It was a tough finish to his doubles match with Garrett (Johns). They played a very good doubles set that they lost, and I know he was a little bit discouraged. And in the beginning of singles he got down and was frustrated, but he did a tremendous job mentally bouncing back. Connor (Krug) has had a tough couple matches lately but he was tremendous today. I think that is Northwestern's best point. I felt especially happy for Connor and then obviously (Andrew) Zhang just competing and finding a way to win against a very tricky opponent to put us in a good position was big. We had three matches on there and needed one. Credit to Northwestern, I thought they did a really good job there at the end." – Duke head coach Ramsey Smith on some individual highlights from the match

"We have to continue to improve doubles. We have to win more doubles points and just collectively play three solid sets. Getting guys healthy and fine tuning a few things in singles will also be an emphasis. Obviously, a very tough loss for the team and I feel for the guys. It's a long season and we're a resilient group who is going to keep building." – Duke head coach Ramsey Smith on how his team can improve

Next Match
Duke is back at home on Friday when it welcomes East Tennessee State for a 4 p.m. match at Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center. Two days later, the Blue Devils head to Lexington, Ky., to face off against Kentucky on Sunday at 12 p.m.

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

Results
Doubles (1,3,2*)
1. #49 Michael Heller/Andrew Zhang (DU) def. Ivan Yatsuk/Simen Bratholm (NU) 6-4
2. Steven Forman/Felix Nordby (NU) def. Garrett Johns/Pedro Rodenas (DU) 7-5
3. Trice Pickens/Natan Spear (NU) def. Faris Khan/Niroop Vallabhaneni (DU) 6-4

Singles (3,4,2,1,5,6*)
1. Steven Forman (NU) def. #4 Garrett Johns (DU) 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4)
2. #101 Andrew Zhang (DU) def. #97 Ivan Yatsuk (NU) 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-1
3. #84 Pedro Rodenas (DU) def. Simen Bratholm (NU) 7-5, 6-4
4. Connor Krug (DU) def. #110 Trice Pickens (NU) 7-5, 7-5
5. Presley Thieneman (NU) def. Faris Khan (DU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-3
6. Gleb Blekher (NU) def. Michael Heller (DU) 5-7, 7-5, 6-4

#GoDuke