SOUTH BEND, IND. – Senior
Henrique Cunha captured wins in doubles and singles action Sunday to lead the fifth-ranked Duke men's tennis team past No. 30 Notre Dame, 4-0, at the Eck Tennis Pavilion. The Blue Devils improve their mark to 6-1 on the season, while Notre Dame falls to 3-3.
"I am proud of the way our team bounced back from that tough loss Friday night," said head coach
Ramsey Smith. "I think we learned some things from that match, and we were able to take out a tough Notre Dame team today. We are looking forward to an exciting home weekend against Tennessee, Michigan and NC Central."
The top-ranked tandem of Cunha and sophomore
Raphael Hemmeler continued their impressive play in the No. 1 position in the doubles lineup, taking the first match of the afternoon over No. 51 Greg Andrews and Spencer Talmadge, 8-1. The win extends the duo's winning streak to 14 consecutive matches, dating back to the fall, while the pair of
Chris Mengel and
Fred Saba clinched the doubles point from the No. 3 position for the second consecutive match, defeating Notre Dame's Ryan Bandy and Matt Dooley, 8-6.
On court two, the 39th-ranked duo of
Michael Redlicki and
Jason Tahir were edged by Billy Pecor and Alex Lawson, 8-5. The match ended Duke's streak of 17 consecutive wins in doubles to open the dual season.
In singles, Hemmeler claimed the first singles point of the day at the No. 5 position in the lineup, defeating No. 120 Wyatt McCoy, 6-1, 6-1, while on court two Saba pushed Duke to within one point of taking the match with his 6-3, 6-3 victory over No. 110 Blas Moros.
Cunha clinched the team win for the Blue Devils at the No. 1 spot, downing No. 80 Greg Andrews, 6-4, 6-4. With the win, the senior now owns a record of 18-3 for the fall and spring season and a 6-0 dual match record from the top spot in the lineup.
Playing in the No. 4 spot in the lineup, Mengel rebounded after dropping the first set in his match with a 7-5 win in the second set against Pecor. He was able to take the lead in a decisive third set before it was left unfinished, 1-6, 7-5, 1-0. At the No. 6 position, Tahir and Notre Dame's Bandy had each won a set before the match was left unfinished, 3-6, 6-2. Redlicki trailed in the second set of his match at the No. 3 position against Quentin Monaghan before it was left unfinished at 7-6 (8), 2-3.
Up next, the Blue Devils return home next weekend to face Tennessee on Friday, Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. The team will play a doubleheader Sunday, Feb. 10, facing Michigan at noon before meeting cross-town rival N.C. Central at 5 p.m.
Tennis Match Results
Duke vs Notre Dame
Feb 03, 2013 at Notre Dame, Ind.
(Eck Tennis Pavilion)
#5 Duke 4, #30 Notre Dame 0
Singles competition
1. #11
Henrique Cunha (DU) def. #80 Greg Andrews (ND) 6-4, 6-4
2. #23
Fred Saba (DU) def. #110 Blas Moros (ND) 6-3, 6-3
3. Quentin Monaghan (ND) vs. #14
Michael Redlicki (DU) 6-7 (8-10), 3-2, unfinished
4. #88 Billy Pecor (ND) vs. #46
Chris Mengel (DU) 6-1, 5-7, 0-1, unfinished
5. #38
Raphael Hemmeler (DU) def. #120 Wyatt McCoy (ND) 6-1, 6-1
6. Ryan Bandy (ND) vs. #123
Jason Tahir (DU) 6-3, 2-6, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. #1
Henrique Cunha/
Raphael Hemmeler (DU) def. #51 Greg Andrews/Spencer Talmadge (ND) 8-1
2. Billy Pecor/Alex Lawson (ND) def. #39
Jason Tahir/
Michael Redlicki (DU) 8-5
3. #37
Chris Mengel/
Fred Saba (DU) def. Ryan Bandy/Matt Dooley (ND) 8-6
Match Notes:
Duke 6-1; National ranking #5
Notre Dame 3-3; National ranking #30
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (5,2,1)
T-2:35
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