Six Blue Devils Selected to All-ACC Academic Team

DURHAM – Six Duke men’s tennis players were named to the All-ACC Academic team, the league announced Thursday.
 
Junior Andrew Zhang earned the honor for the second consecutive season, while senior Edu Güell, sophomores Andrew Dale, Faris Khan, and Niroop Vallabhaneni as well as freshman Connor Krug received their first league acknowledgement.
 
Duke’s six honorees were tied with NC State for the most in the league. The mark also tied for the most in program history, matching the six Blue Devils named to the academic team in 2006 and 2018.
 
Zhang, a 2022 Third Team All-ACC selection, compiled season records of 22-9 in singles, including a dual mark of 13-4, and 16-12 in doubles this past season. His 22 overall singles wins on the year were first on the team, while his 13 dual victories placed him second. He holds a 3.822 cumulative GPA and is working toward a degree in psychology.
 
Güell, who recently earned his degree in economics and finished with a career GPA of 3.925, led the team with seven match-clinching victories, including one over No. 23 Notre Dame. He played on courts 3-6 this past season and held a winning record on three of them.
 
Dale earned a season-high 15 dual singles wins and was one of five players with 16-plus overall singles wins on the year. The Leesburg, Va., native finished a perfect 10-0 on court five and concluded the season having won five of his last seven matches that finished. He is pursuing a chemistry degree and currently holds a 3.693 cumulative GPA.
 
Khan, a sociology major with a career 3.753 GPA, played on court three and four with marks of 5-2 and 3-4, respectively. He also went an impressive 11-1 in tournament play. In doubles action with teammate Vallabhaneni, the pair played on all three courts and finished 14-10 overall with a 4-3 mark on court one.
 
In his first year with the program, Krug finished tied for second on the team with 19 overall singles wins. He played on all four of Duke’s top courts throughout the year, including a 2-0 mark on court two. The Lakewood Ranch, Fla., product also finished 3-1 against nationally ranked opponents.
 
Vallabhaneni compiled double-digit singles wins on the year, including a 9-6 mark in dual action, and won five of his last six matches. With teammate Khan in doubles action, the duo went 14-10 overall with a 4-3…