No. 1 Virginia Wins 4-3 at Duke

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DURHAM, N.C. – In a battle the two remaining unbeaten men’s tennis teams in ACC play, top-ranked Virginia topped No. 27 Duke 4-3 Sunday afternoon at the Ambler Tennis Center. The Cavaliers (27-1, 7-0) rallied from losing the doubles point with four singles wins to hand the Blue Devils (11-6, 4-1 ACC) their first conference loss.

Duke took the 1-0 lead after doubles as the Cavaliers dropped the opening point for the first time since the match at Virginia Tech on Feb. 23, a span of 16 matches. The Cavaliers took an early edge when Lee Singer (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) and Jarmere Jenkins (College Park, Ga.) rolled past Alain Michel and Torsten Wietoska 8-0 at No. 3. The Blue Devils drew even as third-ranked Henrique Cunha and Reid Carleton defeated 11th-ranked Michael Shabaz (Fairfax, Va.) and Drew Courtney (Clifton, Va.) 8-6 at No. 1. In the decisive match at No. 2, Duke’s David Holland and Dylan Arnould edged Sanam Singh (Chandigarh, India) and Houston Barrick (Brentwood, Tenn.) 9-7.

In singles, the Cavaliers quickly drew even as Jenkins needed little time to down Arnould 6-1, 6-0 at No. 3 singles. Duke retook the lead, 2-1, as Cunha posted a 6-3, 6-3 win over Shabaz at the top position. Seconds later Virginia drew even again as Barrick completed a 6-4, 6-3 win over Holland at No. 5. Virginia took its first lead of the day, 3-2, when Courtney downed Wietoska 7-6(4), 6-2 at No. 5 singles. Luke Marchese brought the Blue Devils even at 3-3 with his 7-5, 7-6(3) win over Singer at No. 6 singles. In the final match on the courts, Singh rallied from dropping the first set to score a 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 win over Carleton to clinch the victory.

The win was Virginia’s 54th consecutive victory against ACC opponents.

“I was pleased with the play from a few guys today who stepped up big despite not being at their best,” said head coach Brian Boland. “We got some great performances today from Sanam, Drew and Jarmere. I thought it was great to see how we battled back after the adversity of losing the doubles point. I was impressed by Duke, and it was a great match. I was glad that we were able to find a way to get those four singles points. We now have to head home, get healthy, and get ready for two more tough ACC matches next weekend.”

The Cavaliers return home next weekend, hosting NC State on Friday and Wake Forest and Hampton in a doubleheader on Sunday.

No. 1 Virginia 4, No. 27 Duke 3

Doubles:

1. #3 Cunha/Carleton (Duke) def. #11 ShabazCourtney (UVa) 8-6

2. #80 Arnould/Holland (Duke) def. #21 Barrick/Singh (UVa) 9-7

3. #58 Singer/Jenkins (UVa) def. #63 Michel/Wietoska (Duke) 8-0

Singles:

1. #11 Henrique Cunha (Duke) def. #3 Michael Shabaz (UVa) 6-3, 6-3

2. 9 Sanam Singh (UVa) def. Reid Carleton (Duke) 5-7, 6-3, 6-2

3. #39 Jarmere Jenkins (UVa) def. #87 Dylan Arnould (Duke) 6-1, 6-0

4. #53 Drew Courtney (UVa) def. Torsten Wietoska (Duke) 7-6(4), 6-2

5. #95 Houston Barrick (UVa) def. David Holland (Duke) 6-4, 6-3

6. Luke Marchese (Duke) def. #77 Lee Singer (UVa) 7-5, 7-6(3)

Order of Finish:

Doubles: 3,1,2

Singles: 3,1,5,4,6,2