Duke Drops Decision to No. 3 Virginia

Sunday, March 10

Durham, N.C.

2 p.m.

Duke University

Virginia

Duke Drops Decision to No. 3 Virginia

3/10/2024 8:34:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score

DURHAM – No. 15 Duke men's tennis dropped a 6-1 decision to ACC foe and third-ranked Virginia on Sunday afternoon at Ambler Tennis Stadium.

The Blue Devils fall to 11-7 overall and 3-2 in ACC play, while the Cavaliers improve to 12-4 and 4-0, respectively.

How It Happened

Both teams had opportunities to clinch the doubles point but it was ultimately the Cavaliers who came away with the point. Garrett Johns and Pedro Rodenas pulled the upset on the top court over No. 19 Inaki Montes de la Torre and James Hopper, 6-4. The visitors then answered on court three after Dylan Dietrich and Alexander Kiefer bested Faris Khan and Teddy Truwit, 7-5. With the doubles point coming down to the outcome of court two, No. 24 Chris Rodesch and Jeffrey von der Schulenburg outlasted No. 21 Michael Heller and Andrew Zhang in tiebreak fashion 7-6 (3) to secure the point.
The Cavaliers extended their overall advantage in the match to 3-0 following wins by No. 9 Rodesch and No. 72 von der Schulenburg on courts two and four, respectively.
No. 61 Dietrich then clinched the victory for Virginia after besting Zhang 7-5, 7-6 (5) on court three.
The Cavaliers earned an additional two wins on courts six and five, respectively, but No. 47 Johns registered Duke's lone point of the day when he defeated No. 38 Montes de la Torre on the main court in three sets. The Atlanta, Ga., native recorded a 6-3 victory in his opening set but dropped the second, 6-0. In the final frame, Johns rebounded for a 6-2 win for his sixth victory over a ranked opponent.

Notes

The Blue Devils are now 51-9 when playing in Durham over the last five seasons.
Johns improves to 11-3 in dual action, 9-2 on court one and 6-2 against nationally ranked opponents.
Johns and Rodenas registered their team leading 10th doubles win and are 7-3 over their last 10 matches.

Quotes
"I thought it was a great doubles performance. Against the best teams, that type of thing can happen where you play well and lose. We had double match point on serve at court two and just didn't win those points. Then they battled back and got to a tiebreaker but fell a little bit short. Across the board I was very pleased with all six guys in doubles. I thought it was the same on Friday, so I feel like we really brought some momentum in our doubles this weekend. We played aggressively, freer, and with great energy, so thing to hold our heads about in doubles. Then in singles there were a lot of really close matches. Two matches finished relatively quickly in straight sets and we were down 3-0 but I really felt like we had chances in those remaining four matches. Despite the scoreline, I felt like we were right there and just didn't quite get over the hump in doubles and didn't quite get over the hump in a couple singles matches, which would have put a little more pressure on them."– Duke head coach Ramsey Smith on his thoughts from the match

"Really proud of Garrett [Johns]. [Inaki] Montes is one of the tougher outs in college tennis over the years. Great competitor and very physical. Today's match was grinding and tough mentally and it was just really good to see Garrett come out and finish strong in the third. He had a little bit of a lapse there in the second, but he reset and played a really good third set to keep his overall momentum. That's a massive win for him and his confidence." – Duke head coach Ramsey Smith on Garrett Johns' performance on Sunday

"We need to keep putting in really good weeks of practice. I thought this was one of our better weeks of practice. We worked extremely hard, and we just have to keep stacking those up on top of each other and focus on these little things we need to do to get better. Again, despite the scoreline today, I thought it was a step forward for us this weekend and we're really excited to get back to work this week."– Duke head coach Ramsey Smith on what he hopes to see from his group moving forward

Next Match
Duke is back on the road at Miami and Florida State on Friday, March 15 and Sunday, March 17, respectively. The Blue Devils and Hurricanes battle on Friday at 3 p.m., before Duke competes against the Seminoles on Sunday at noon.

Results
Doubles (1,3,2*)
1. Garrett Johns/Pedro Rodenas (DU) def. #19 Inaki Montes/James Hopper (UVA) 6-4
2. #24 Chris Rodesch/Jeffrey von der Schu (UVA) def. #21 Michael Heller/Andrew Zhang (DU) 7-6 (7-3)
3. Dylan Dietrich/Alexander Kiefer (UVA) def. Faris Khan/Teddy Truwit (DU) 7-5

Singles (2,4,3*,6,1,5)
1. #47 Garrett Johns (DU) def. #38 Inaki Montes (UVA) 6-3, 0-6, 6-2
2. #9 Chris Rodesch (UVA) def. #66 Pedro Rodenas (DU) 6-3, 6-2
3. #61 Dylan Dietrich (UVA) def. Andrew Zhang (DU) 7-5, 7-6 (7-5)
4. #72 Jeffrey von der Schu (UVA) def. Connor Krug (DU) 6-4, 6-3
5. Alexander Kiefer (UVA) def. Alexander Visser (DU) 7-6 (7-5), 2-6, 6-4
6. Mans Dahlberg (UVA) def. Faris Khan (DU) 1-6, 6-3, 6-2

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

Duke Centennial
In 2024, Duke celebrates its Centennial, marking one hundred years since Trinity College became Duke University. Duke will use this historic milestone to deepen the understanding of its history, inspire pride and strengthen bonds and partnerships, and prepare for a second century of continued excellence and impactful leadership. To learn more, please visit 100.duke.edu

#GoDuke