MIAMI – For the second time in as many matches, the Duke men's tennis team pushed its foe to the limit but this time it could not complete the comeback as it fell to Miami 4-1 Sunday at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center. The Blue Devils trailed Miami 3-0, but Duke's
Alexander Visser won his singles match and three of his teammates pushed their opponents into third sets.
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No. 44 Duke dipped to 10-12 overall and 5-7 in league play. No. 42 Miami is now 13-10 and 5-7 against ACC foes.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Miami opened the match with the first doubles decision by winning on court two as Antonio Prat and Rafael Segado topped Cooper Williams and Teddy Truwit, 6-3. With a 3-2 lead, the Miami pair broke the match open with a two-game run to take a 5-2 advantage. The Duke duo got one game back but could not force a tie.Â
- The Hurricanes squeezed out the doubles point with a 6-4 victory on the top court, where the No. 43 tandem of Mehdi Sadaoui and Jakub Kroslak topped Pedro Rodenas and Gerard Planelles Ripoll, 6-4. The Miami pair turned a 2-2 tie into a 4-2 advantage. Duke got the deficit down to a game at 4-3 and 5-4 but could not draw even. The Hurricanes won a deuce point to secure the match and doubles point.Â
- On court six, Miami's Jules Garot pushed the Hurricanes in front 2-0 as he moved past Truwit, 6-3, 6-2. Truwit fell behind 5-1 in the opening set before closing the gap to 5-3. Garot then won a deuce point to take the first set. In the second set, Garot turned a 1-1 tie into a 3-1 lead and did not let Truwit get closer than 3-2 the rest of the way.Â
- The Hurricanes made it a 3-0 lead on court five as Sadaoui defeated Dylan Long 6-3, 6-4. In the opening set with a 2-2 tie, Sadaoui went on a three-game sprint to take a 5-2 lead and control of the set. The second set was even at 1-1 and 2-2 before Sadaoui went up 4-2. Long got it down to a one-game deficit at 4-3 and 5-4, but lost a deuce point to end the match.Â
- Alexander Visser made it a 3-1 Duke deficit with his 6-4, 6-4 victory against Segado on court four. Visser trailed 3-1 in the opening set before storming back to even the set at 3-3. The two were even again at 4-4 before Visser took the last two games for the set. In the second set, Visser again trailed early, falling behind 2-0. He won the next four games to go ahead 4-2. Segado got a game back and trailed 4-3, but Visser won two of the final three games for the match. Visser upped his dual match singles record to 6-7 while securing his second ACC singles triumph of the weekend and of the campaign.
- Miami clinched the match on court two, where No. 118 Nacho Serra Sanchez came back for a 0-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory. Serra Sanchez regrouped in the second set and took a 2-0 lead against No. 47 Williams, who entered the day unbeaten in ACC singles play. Williams trailed 4-2 but came back to knot the set at 4-4. With the set even at 5-5, Serra Sanchez won the last two to force a third set. Serra Sanchez started on fire and took 4-0 and 5-1 leads in the deciding set. Williams got it down to 5-3 and had a deuce point, but Serra Sanchez took it to capture the match and final point.Â
UP NEXT
- Duke completes the regular season Saturday with a 1 p.m. home match against North Carolina.Â
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RESULTS
Doubles (2,3)
1. Â #43 Mehdi Sadaoui/Jakub Kroslak (MIA) def.
Pedro Rodenas/
Gerard Planelles Ripoll (DU) 6-4
2. Antonio Prat/Rafael Segado (MIA) def.
Cooper Williams/
Teddy Truwit (DU) 6-3
3.
Dylan Long/
Alexander Visser (DU) vs. Nacho Serra Sanchez/Jules Garot (MIA) 5-4, unfinished
Singles (6,5,4,2)
1. #50
Pedro Rodenas (DU) vs. #115 Antonio Prat (MIA) 6-3, 4-6, 4-4, unfinished
2. #118 Nacho Serra Sanchez (MIA) def. #47
Cooper Williams (DU) 0-6, 7-5, 6-3
3.
Gerard Planelles Ripoll (DU) vs. Jacub Kroslak (MIA) 4-6, 6-4, 3-4, unfinished
4.
Alexander Visser (DU) def. Rafael Segado (MIA) 6-4, 6-4
5. Mehdi Sadaoui (MIA) def.
Dylan Long (DU) 6-3, 6-4
6. Jules Garot (MIA) def.
Teddy Truwit (DU) 6-3, 6-2
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