Duke Defeats No. 7 Wake Forest, 4-1

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – No. 14 Duke men’s tennis posted a thrilling 4-1 victory over No. 7 Wake Forest at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex on Friday night.
 
Redshirt senior Garrett Johns secured the upset win for the Blue Devils on the main court when he bested No. 29 Filippo Moroni in three sets. The Atlanta, Ga., native now has a team-leading six match-clinching victories this season, including two over top-15 opponents.

With the win, Duke shifts to 17-7 overall and 9-2 in ACC play, while Wake Forest drops to 24-5 and 9-2, respectively.

How It Happened

• The home side started doubles play with a 6-3 victory on court three after Luciano Tacchi and Luca Pow bested Faris Khan and Teddy Truwit. Duke’s graduate student pairing of No. 56 Michael Heller and Andrew Zhang knotted the score at 1-1 after they defeated Moroni and Matthew Thomson, 7-5, on court two. With the doubles point coming down to the outcome on the top court, No. 3 Johns and Pedro Rodenas outlasted No. 1 DK Suresh Ekambaram and Holden Koons, 7-6 (2), for their 10th nationally ranked win of the season.
• No. 44 Rodenas extended Duke’s edge to 2-0 early in singles play when he earned a 6-0, 6-4 straight set win over No. 69 Suresh Ekambaram on court two.
• The Demon Deacons cut the lead in half after No. 116 Tacchi bested Connor Krug on court four 6-3, 7-6 (6).
• Rookie Alexander Visser notched the Blue Devils’ third point on court five following his three-set victory over Koons. The Westport, Conn., native tallied a 6-2 win in his opening set but dropped his second, 6-0. He bounced back in the third frame for a 6-4 victory for his…