Duke University Team Page
DURHAM, N.C. – The Duke men’s tennis team was ranked seventh in the first Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division I poll of the season, as announced Thursday by the organization. Four Blue Devils were also listed among the top 125 singles players in the nation following a successful fall of tournament play.
The squad’s seventh-place ranking matches Duke’s spot in the final ITA poll of the 2012-13 season. Under the direction of head coach Ramsey Smith, the Blue Devils are coming off of a trip to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship in 2013 and are the second-highest ranked team in the ACC heading into this spring, trailing only top-ranked Virginia.
Sophomore Michael Redlicki led Duke in the singles rankings after compiling a 9-4 ledger this fall. He reached the semifinals at the 2013 ITA Carolina Regional and was selected to the main draw at the 2013 Saint Francis Health System ITA All-American Championships.
Junior Jason Tahir garnered a career-best national ranking of No. 52 after coming in at No. 111 in the preseason poll. The Rochester, N.Y., native returned from injury to post a fall record of 6-2, reaching the round of 16 at the 2013 ITA Carolina Regional and playing his way into the semifinals at the 2013 Lakewood Ranch Dick Vitale Clay Court Classic.
Sophomore Josh Levine entered the national rankings for the first time in his career, cracking the top-100 at No. 77. Levine turned in a breakout performance this fall for the Blue Devils, going 13-3 in singles action while claiming titles at the Duke Fab Four Invitational and at the Winthrop Invitational.
Rounding out the quartet of ranked Blue Devils was sophomore Bruno Semenzato, who was tabbed No. 95 in the ITA poll. He compiled a record of 12-4 in tournament play while joining Levine in capturing a singles title at the Duke Fab Four Invitational. Semenzato also defeated a team-best three ranked opponents during the fall and had an outstanding performance at the 2013 ITA Carolina Regional where he advanced to the singles quarterfinals.
Duke kicks off dual match play Friday, Jan. 17 when it hosts Elon at 6 p.m. in the season opener at the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center.
