BLACKSBURG, Va. – The eighth-ranked Duke men’s tennis team completed a 7-0 sweep of No. 52 Virginia Tech Sunday afternoon in Atlantic Coast Conference action, after the match was moved indoors to the Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center due to inclement weather. The Blue Devils improve to 15-4 on the season and 3-1 in ACC play, while the Hokies fall to 10-4 and 2-1 in conference action.
Duke opened the match by sweeping the doubles point, claiming the first match on court two as the 25th-ranked tandem of Chris Mengel and Fred Saba downed Hunter Koontz and Lucas Oliveira, 8-6. At the No. 1 position, the top-ranked duo of senior Henrique Cunha and Raphael Hemmeler edged Virginia Tech’s Andreas Bjerrehus and Amerigo Contini, 9-8 (2). The win clinched the opening point for the Blue Devils and marked Cunha and Hemmeler’s second victory of the weekend over a top-25 opponent.
Playing in the third position, the pair of Jason Tahir and Daniel McCall completed the sweep for Duke, as the pair outlasted Trpimir Kujundzic and Marko Lovrinovic, 9-8 (4).
In singles, Tahir continued his strong play, defeating Joao Monteiro in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, while freshman Michael Redlicki gave the Blue Devils a commanding 3-0 lead after his win at the No. 3 spot in the lineup over Oliveira, 6-1, 6-2.
In the fifth position, Hemmeler clinched the match for Duke after defeating Kujundzic, 6-2, 6-4. The win for Hemmeler is his team-leading 26th of the season and the 11th win for the sophomore at the No. 5 position in the singles lineup.
Duke completed the sweep of Virginia Tech following wins from Mengel, Saba and Cunha. At the No. 4 position, Mengel edged Virginia Tech’s Koontz in straight sets, 6-4, 7-6 (5), while Saba picked up his third consecutive win over a ranked opponent after he bested Bjerrehus, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1. The win marks Saba’s fourth this season over a ranked opponent. At the top spot in the lineup, Cunha continued his impressive final season as a Blue Devil, topping No. 73 Contini in three sets, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3. Cunha remains undefeated for the dual season, as the senior owns a 12-0 mark from the top position of the lineup.
Up next, the Blue Devils will continue ACC play against Florida State at Ambler Tennis Stadium Saturday, March 30 at 11 a.m.
Tennis Match Results
Duke vs Virginia Tech
Mar 24, 2013 at Blacksburg, Va.
(Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center)
#8 Duke 7, #52 Virginia Tech 0
Singles competition
1. #10 Henrique Cunha (DU) def. #73 Amerigo Contini (VT) 7-5, 3-6, 6-3
2. #27 Fred Saba (DU) def. #91 Andreas Bjerrehus (VT) 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
3. #26 Michael Redlicki (DU) def. Lucas Oliveira (VT) 6-1, 6-2
4. #89 Chris Mengel (DU) def. Hunter Koontz (VT) 6-4, 7-6 (7-5)
5. #55 Raphael Hemmeler (DU) def. Trpimir Kujundzic (VT) 6-2, 6-4
6. Jason Tahir (DU) def. Joao Monteiro (VT) 6-3, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. #1 Henrique Cunha/Raphael Hemmeler (DU) def. #21 Andreas Bjerrehus/Amerigo Contini (VT) 9-8 (7-2)
2. #25 Chris Mengel/Fred Saba (DU) def. Hunter Koontz/Lucas Oliveira (VT) 8-6
3. Daniel McCall/Jason Tahir (DU) def. Trpimir Kujundzic/Marko Lovrinovic (VT) 9-8 (7-4)
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (6,3,5,4,2,1)
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