Men's Tennis Rallies Past No. 14 Duke, 4-3
April 16, 2010
Coral Gables, Fla. – The No. 47 University of Miami men’s tennis team battled back from a 3-1 deficit to knock off 14th-ranked Duke, 4-3, on Friday afternoon for its fourth-straight win. The Hurricanes (10-10, 4-6) handed the Blue Devils (15-7, 8-2) just their second Atlantic Coast Conference loss of the season.
Trailing 3-1 and facing a must-win situation in the final three singles matches, Waylon Chin got the Hurricanes comeback started with the 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 victory at No. 5 to bring UM within one point at 3-2. It marked the sixth-straight win for the junior transfer who is in his first season with Miami, as he improved to 14-10 overall and 6-4 in ACC play.
With the action on court two between UM’s Christian Blöcker and Duke’s 86th-ranked Reid Carleton heading into a third set, Ignacio Taboada kept the Hurricanes’ hopes alive – edging Luke Marchese, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 at No. 6 to knot the match at 3-all. It was Taboada’s fourth-straight win, improving to 12-7 on the season and 6-4 versus league competition.
With the match hanging in the balance, Blöcker raced to the 3-0 lead in the third set. However Carleton would not let up and won four of the next five games to tie Blöcker, 4-4. But the Miami junior remained composed and defeated his second ranked opponent this season, 6-3, 6-7, 6-4 – in a match that lasted over three hours – to clinch the fourth-straight ACC win for the Hurricanes.
“We’ve been so close all season,” said Miami senior David Simon, who got the Hurricanes on the scoreboard with the 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 3 over 104th-ranked Dylan Arnould. “We finally did it. This is huge for us.”
“I’m so proud of these guys,” said head Miami coach Mario Rincon. “Duke is a great team and is having a great season. But after losing the doubles point, the guys really game together and had a great team effort.
“It’s amazing. This year has been rough on all of us, and we’ve lost some heartbreakers. But to stay in the race, we needed to beat Duke. Hopefully, we can play our best tennis over these next few matches.”
The visiting Blue Devils won the doubles point on the backs of their top-ranked tandem at the No. 1 position and their 64th-ranked duo at No. 2 to take the early 1-0 lead. They extended their lead to 2-0 with a straight sets win at No. 3 and then went up 3-1 as third-ranked Henrique Cunha took the 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 1.
But the Hurricanes rallied for their fourth-straight victory and ride that win streak into the regular-season finale at home versus No. 19 North Carolina on Sun., Apr. 18, at Noon. Miami’s three seniors – Barnabas Carrega, Hector Nieto and Simon – will be honored as they participate in their final home match. Fans will be treated to a complementary BBQ lunch (first come, first served). Admission is free.
No. 47 Miami 4, No. 14 Duke 3
Singles
1. #3 Henrique Cunha (DU) def. #107 Carl Sundberg (UM) 6-4, 6-3
2. Christian Blocker (UM) def. #86 Reid Carleton (DU) 6-3, 6-7, 6-4
3. David Simon (UM) def. #104 Dylan Arnould (DU) 6-3, 6-2
4. Jared Pinksy (DU) def. Keith Crowley (UM) 6-2, 6-4
5. Waylon Chin (UM) def. Luke Marchese (DU) 6-2, 4-6, 6-2
6. Ignacio Taboada (UM) def. Alain Michel (DU) 4-6, 6-3, 7-6
Order of Finish: 4, 3, 1, 5, 6, 2*
Doubles
1. #1 Henrique Cunha/Reid Carleton (DU) def. #71 Christian Blocker/David Simon (UM) 8-5
2. #64 Dylan Arnould/David Holland (DU) def. #80 Keith Crowley/Hector Nieto (UM) 8-5
3. Carl Sundberg/Ignacio Taboada (UM) def. Alain Michel/Torsten Wietoska (DU) 8-6
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2*
