Krug Clinches 6-1 Win for Duke over No. 47 Miami

Friday, April 14

Durham, N.C.

5 p.m.

Duke University

[47] Miami

Sophomore Connor Krug registered his third consecutive match-clinching point on Friday night to help lift No. 13 Duke men's tennis past No. 47 Miami, 6-1, at Sheffield Indoor Tennis Stadium.

Krug Clinches 6-1 Win for Duke over No. 47 Miami

4/14/2023 11:20:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score

DURHAM – Sophomore Connor Krug registered his third consecutive match-clinching point on Friday night to help lift No. 13 Duke men's tennis past No. 47 Miami, 6-1, at Sheffield Indoor Tennis Stadium.

With the win, the Blue Devils (17-5, 10-1 ACC) achieved their 10th ACC victory, which ties them with the 2014 team for the most in program history. Miami drops to 14-8 and 5-6, respectively.

Krug garnered his fourth match-clinching point of the season when he defeated Leon Bierbaum on court four in three sets.

How It Happened

The Blue Devils made quick work of the Hurricanes in doubles play. The sophomore-freshman tandem of Connor Krug and Teddy Truwit defeated Antonio Prat and Martin Katz on court three, 6-4, to kick off doubles action. No. 27 senior Garrett Johns and freshman Pedro Rodenas then followed suit with a 6-4 win on the top court over No. 54 Juan Martin Jalif and Martin Vergara. The match between No. 44 Michael Heller and Andrew Zhang against Franco Aubone and Dan Martin on court two went unfinished with the visitors in front, 5-3.
Faris Khan extended Duke's edge to 2-0 early in singles play when he bested Nacho Serra Sanchez 6-1, 6-2 on court six.
No. 67 Rodenas continued Duke's strong performance with 6-2, 7-6 (1) wins over Prat on court two.
Krug then sealed the win for the Blue Devils when he outlasted Bierbaum 6-2, 7-6 (5) on court four.
Zhang and Andrew Dale were the next to go final on court three and five, respectively, to give Duke a 6-0 advantage. Zhang bested No. 87 Katz in three sets on court three for his fourth victory over a nationally ranked opponent. Zhang won the first set 6-3 but dropped the second 6-3. With the match coming down to the outcome of the final frame, Zhang rebounded for a 6-1 win to secure the win.
Dale was in a battle with Aubone on court five but was able to register a 7-6 (5) tiebreak win in the opening set. The Leesburg, Va., native then tallied a 6-3 victory in the second set for his 12th dual win of the year.
In the last contest of the night, No. 52 Martin defeated No. 14 Johns in back-to-back tiebreak matches on the top court 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5).

Notes

Duke is now riding a season-long six-match winning streak.
The Blue Devils matched a program record with their 10th conference victory of the year.
Duke posted its 11th victory over a ranked opponent this season.
Krug and Rodenas both extend their winning streak to six-straight matches.
Rodenas remains undefeated on court two with a mark of 11-0.
Johns and Rodenas improved to 13-2 in dual doubles matches and 6-0 in the ACC.
There were five singles sets determined by tiebreak on Friday night.

Quotes
"I thought that was a really important match for us. Overall, I thought we did a really good job. We were dealing with the weather situation that we've dealt with a lot, but really proud of our guys for finishing strong against a really good Miami team. A team that I think is under-ranked and on the verge of the NCAA tournament. So, we knew they were going to come in in desperation mode and I thought we handled it really well." – Duke head coach Ramsey Smith

"He's been amazing. He's made a massive jump the past month committing to playing big boy tennis. He's playing with a lot of confidence and a lot of fire and passion but he's also controlling his mind and able to think clearly and play freely in the big moments." – Duke head coach Ramsey Smith on sophomore Connor Krug

"Another win in the books for our team. We've got good momentum going right now and this is really important just to keep that going. Miami is tough and a very gritty team. Their guys compete really hard, so we had to come to play today and we got the job done." – Duke sophomore Connor Krug

"Closing out matches is always the hardest part of tennis. There is no clock, you can't let the clock run out, so you've got to finish it. It was 5-4 and I played two good points to start the game and he came up with a really good shot at love-15 and just kind of out-executed me in that game. So, I had to go right back to work. I had a break point at 5-all, didn't get it, held good and I knew if I kept the body of work up and kept playing the right way and going for the right shots it would pay off in the long run and ultimately, I was able to get it in the second set tiebreaker instead of the third." – Duke sophomore Connor Krug

Next Match
The Blue Devils host No. 19 Florida State on Sunday at Noon at Ambler Tennis Stadium. Prior to the match, three Duke players will be acknowledged for senior day in Heller, Johns and Zhang. The contest will also be a Royal Blue match. The Seminoles dropped a 4-1 decision at No. 16 North Carolina on Friday.

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

Results
Doubles (3,1*)
1. #27 Garrett Johns/Pedro Rodenas (DU) def. #54 Juan Martin Jalif/Martin Vergara (UM) 6-4
2. #44 Michael Heller/Andrew Zhang (DU) vs. Franco Aubone/Dan Martin (UM) 3-5, unfinished
3. Connor Krug/Teddy Truwit (DU) def. Antonio Prat/Martin Katz (UM) 6-4

Singles (6,2,4*,3,5,1)
1. #52 Dan Martin (UM) def. #14 Garrett Johns (DU) 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-5)
2. #67 Pedro Rodenas (DU) def. Antonio Prat (UM) 6-2, 7-6 (7-1)
3. Andrew Zhang (DU) def. #87 Martin Katz (UM) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
4. Connor Krug (DU) def. Leo Bierbaum (UM) 6-2, 7-6 (7-5)
5. Andrew Dale (DU) def. Franco Aubone (UM) 7-6 (7-5), 6-3
6. Faris Khan (DU) def. Nacho Serra Sanchez (UM) 6-1, 6-2

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