DURHAM – No. 25 Duke men’s tennis dropped a 4-3 decision to No. 23 Northwestern on Sunday morning at Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center.
The Blue Devils dip to 5-3 on the year, while the Wildcats improve to 5-3.
How It Happened
- Michael Heller and Andrew Zhang, the No. 49 doubles team nationally, claimed a 6-4 victory over Ivan Yatsuk and Simen Bratholm on court one to begin doubles action.
- Northwestern’s Trice Pickens and Natan Spear then earned a 6-4 win over Faris Khan and Niroop Vallabhaneni on court three to pull the doubles point even at one win all.
- With the doubles point coming down to the outcome of court two, the Wildcats were able to outlast the Blue Devils as Steven Forman and Felix Nordby registered a 7-5 victory over Garrett Johns and Pedro Rodenas.
- Despite trailing 1-0 early, Duke battled back in singles action to jump in front 3-1 after wins by Rodenas, Connor Krug and Zhang.
- No. 84 Rodenas made quick work of Bratholm on court three 7-5, 6-4 to shift to 8-0 in singles play during his rookie season.
- Connor Krug followed suit with a 7-5, 7-5 victory over No. 110 Pickens on court four for his first win of the season over a ranked opponent.
- No. 101 Zhang then made it 3-1 in favor of the home side when he bested No. 97 Yatsuk in three sets. The Bloomfield, Mich., native posted a thrilling 7-6 (3) tiebreak win in the opening set, securing the tiebreak victory on an ace. The senior dropped the second frame, 6-4, but rebounded for a 6-1 victory in the third set to secure his third win of the year.
- The Wildcats would not go away though, recording wins over the…
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