Blue Devils Open with Elon Sweep

Friday, January 16

Durham, N.C.

5 p.m.

Duke University

Elon

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Blue Devils Open with Elon Sweep

1/16/2026 8:43:00 PM | Men's Tennis

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DURHAM, N.C. – The No. 17 Duke men's tennis team opened the dual match season with a 4-0 win against Elon on Friday inside Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center. The Blue Devils improved to 16-2 in season openers under head coach Ramsey Smith.

Pedro Rodenas clinched the victory with a straight-set win on court two while Alexander Visser gave Duke a boost with a quick singles win on court three.

How It Happened

In a marathon doubles point, Duke came away with wins on courts one and three to take the early lead.
The Blue Devil duo of Pedro Rodenas and Cooper Williams topped Elon's Veljko Krstic and Nikola Parichkov, 6-4, on court one. With the set even at 2-2 and 3-3, Duke broke and held to take a 5-3 lead. Elon got a game back on its serve, but the Blue Devils held on for the set.
In a lengthy battle on court three, Duke came away with a 7-6 (7) triumph. The set was even at 2-2 and 3-3 before the Phoenix duo of Oskar Antinheimo and Charles Pilet broke to go up 4-3. Duke's Saahith Jayaraman and Teddy Truwit broke right back and knotted the action at 4-4. The sides were even at 5-5 and 6-6 to head to the tiebreaker. From there, Elon jumped ahead 2-0 but neither side took another two-point advantage until the end with Duke going from 7-7 to 9-7 and capturing the win.
Alexander Visser gave Duke a 2-0 advantage with a 7-5, 6-0 triumph against Parichkov on court three. With a break in game one, Visser was able to take 2-0, 3-1 and 5-3 leads. Parichkov fought back with a hold and break for a 5-5 set, but Visser returned the favor with a break and hold to end the opening set before cruising through the second.
Williams finished minutes later with a straight-set win for a 3-0 Blue Devil advantage. On court one, Williams downed Krstic 6-4, 6-4. With a 3-3 tie in the opening set, Williams broke and held to go up 5-3. Krstic got a game back, but Williams served out for the victory. The second set had Williams break and hold for an early 2-0 lead. Krstic never forced a tie as Williams secured the match.
Minutes later, Rodenas put the match away on court two with a 6-4, 6-3 triumph against Rafael Ymer. Rodenas found himself even at 1-1, 2-2 and 3-3 before a break and hold gave him an edge Ymer could not overcome in the opening set. The two were again even at 1-1, 2-2 and 3-3 in the second set before Rodenas broke, held and broke for the victory.

Up Next

Duke returns to action Sunday for a doubleheader, welcoming James Madison at 11 a.m. and North Carolina Central at 5 p.m. to the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center.

Quotes
"I'm happy with the win. The first match can always be a little bit tricky. I thought Elon played great and really pushed us in doubles and singles, particularly the bottom half of the lineup. [Elon head coach and former Duke assistant] Maciek [Sykut] has done such a good job. He's really put together a good group. They're only going to keep getting better. It was a perfect match because we really got pushed. We were able to get through with the 4-0, but it was a lot tougher than that.

"Alexander Visser really stood out. I was really pleased with how he stepped in and played so well, especially that second set. It was five all in the first and could have gone either way. He got broken to go to five all and then didn't drop another game. He's such a good player. He had such a good fall. I feel like this is really a breakthrough season for him. He's the type of player who plays well against the better players. He can play with anybody. I'm excited for him to get that start.

"Dylan [Long] obviously had some first match nerves with some ups and downs, but I'm proud of him for how he bounced back after a tough first set. SJ [Saahith Jayaraman], even though he lost that first set, he was down 5-2 and down a bunch of set points and battled. He created some momentum. I'm excited we got a lot of looks and I think we'll continue to improve." – Duke head coach Ramsey Smith

"It felt amazing to win. We had our bumps in the road last year and a tough end to last year. I think starting the way we did tonight was just really encouraging. I think all the guys in the locker room right now feel the same way. We want to keep the momentum.

"Coming out in the first match, season opener, you have some nerves. It was normal the way the first set went. I felt really loose in the second it was a really good feeling. I think going forward I can build off that and probably start better in each match going forward." – Duke's Alexander Visser

Results
Doubles (1,3)
1. Pedro Rodenas/Cooper Williams (DU) def. Veljko Krstic/Nikola Parichkov (ELON) 6-4
2. Gerard Planelles Ripoll/Dylan Long (DU) vs. Rafael Ymer/Jack Curtis (ELON) 5-5, unfinished
3. Teddy Truwit/Saahith Jayaraman (DU) def. Oskar Antinheimo/Charles Pilet (ELON) 7-6 (9-7)

Singles (3,1,2)
1. Cooper Williams (DU) def. Veljko Krstic (ELON) 6-4, 6-4
2. Pedro Rodenas (DU) def. Rafael Ymer (ELON) 6-4, 6-3
3. Alexander Visser (DU) def. Nikola Parichkov (ELON) 7-5, 6-0
4. Gerard Planelles Ripoll (DU) vs. Charles Pilet (ELON) 6-7 (7-3), 5-1, unfinished
5. Dylan Long (DU) vs. Jack Curtis (ELON) 4-6, 7-5, 1-0, unfinished
6. Saahith Jayaraman (DU) vs. Oskar Antinheimo (ELON) 6-7 (7-5), 1-2, unfinished

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