No. 53 MTennis Closes Road Slate with Loss

DURHAM, N.C. – The 53rd-ranked University of Miami men’s tennis team completed its 2013 regular season road schedule with a tough 7-0 loss to conference foe No. 9 Duke this afternoon at the Ambler Tennis Stadium.  The loss drops Miami to 13-10 on the dual season and 2-6 in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) action.

“Duke was too good for us today,” Miami head coach Mario Rincon said.  “We need to regroup and prepare for Virginia Tech and Virginia next weekend.”

The Hurricanes fought hard in doubles competition but ultimately dropped the early point to the Blue Devils.  Miami’s No. 2 doubles tandem of Gabriel Flores and Diego Soto stayed close through the early going but dropped a close 8-5 decision to Duke’s 17th-ranked duo of Michael Redlicki and Jason Tahir.  Soon after, Duke’s Fred Saba and Chris Mengel, who entered the match as the 61st-ranked doubles team in the nation, clinched the point behind an 8-3 victory over Miami’s Marco Stancati and Henrique Tsukamoto.

Omar Aly and Wilfredo Gonzalez played a tough match on court one but came up short in a close 8-4 loss to the nation’s top-ranked doubles team of Henrique Cunha and Raphael Hemmeler.

Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, Duke sustained its momentum from doubles competition and clinched the victory behind three quick singles wins.

Duke’s Jason Tahir started off singles play with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over senior Victor Mauz.  The Blue Devils then grabbed a 3-0 lead behind 3rd-ranked Henrique Cunha’s 6-1, 6-1 win over Diego Soto at No. 1 singles.

The match-clinching point came on court four, as No. 112 Chris Mengel outlasted Omar Aly in a 6-2, 6-0 victory.

Play continued and Gabriel Flores and Marco Stancati both dropped a 6-3, 6-3 decision to 26th-ranked Fred Saba and 71st-ranked Raphael Hemmeler, respectively.

The last match of the day was on court three and Wilfredo Gonzalez lost to 43rd-ranked Michael Redlicki, 6-4, 6-3.

Miami will look to bounce back at home as the Hurricanes close its 2013 regular season with a pair of home matches against ACC foes No. 52 Virginia Tech on April 19 and top-ranked Virginia on April 21.  The Hurricanes have been dominant at home all season and own a 10-2 record.

For more information on the University of Miami men’s tennis team, log on to HurricaneSports.com. To follow the UM men’s tennis team socially, visit Twitter.com/CanesMensTennis and facebook.com/MiamiHurricanesMensennis

Tennis Match Results
Miami vs Duke
Apr 14, 2013 at Durham, N.C.
(Ambler Tennis Stadium)
#9 Duke 7, #53 Miami 0

Singles competition
1. #3 Henrique Cunha (DU) def. Diego Soto (UM) 6-1, 6-1
2. #26 Fred Saba (DU) def. Gabriel Flores (UM) 6-3, 6-3
3. #43 Michael Redlicki (DU) def. Wilfredo Gonzalez (UM) 6-4, 6-3
4. #112 Chris Mengel (DU) def. Omar Aly (UM) 6-2, 6-0
5. #71 Raphael Hemmeler (DU) def. Marco Stancati (UM) 6-3, 6-3
6. Jason Tahir (DU) def. Victor Mauz (UM) 6-0, 6-1

Doubles competition
1. #1 Henrique Cunha/Raphael Hemmeler (DU) def. Omar Aly/Wilfredo Gonzalez (UM) 8-4
2. #17 Michael Redlicki/Jason Tahir (DU) def. Diego Soto/Gabriel Flores (UM) 8-5
3. #61 Fred Saba/Chris Mengel (DU) def. Marco Stancati/Henrique Tsukamoto (UM) 8-3

Match Notes:
Miami 13-10; National ranking #53
Duke 19-4; National ranking #9
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (6,1,4,5,2,3)
T-2:44 A-311