No. 24 Miami Comes Up Short Against No. 40 Duke
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami men’s tennis team dropped its second straight match on Sunday, coming up just short, 4-2, against the No. 40 Duke Blue Devils (10-4, 3-1 ACC) at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.
The Hurricanes (12-4, 1-3 ACC) took an early 1-0 lead after securing the doubles point with a sweep of the doubles matches. At first doubles, fourth-year juniors Juan Martin Jalif and Franco Aubone defeated Duke’s Connor Krug and Sean Sculley, 6-2.
Fifth-year senior Bojan Jankulovski and graduate student Dan Martin clinched the doubles point with a 6-2 win on court three, while fifth-year senior Benjamin Hannestad and freshman Martin Katz closed out the sweep at second doubles, downing Duke’s second pair, 6-3.
Hannestad quickly put the Hurricanes ahead 2-0 with a 6-2, 6-2 win at third singles, but it was all Blue Devils from there on out as Duke rattled off four straight victories to win the overall match.
Fourth-year junior Oren Vasser was tagged with Miami’s first loss of the day, falling to Duke’s Faris Khan, 6-4, 6-3 on court four. The Blue Devils tied the match at two when Andrew Zhang defeated Jankulovski 6-4, 6-4 at second singles.
Martin was hit with his first loss of the season at first singles on Sunday, falling to Duke’s Garrett Johns in a three-set battle, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3. The deciding point was recorded on court five, where Jalif faced a 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, defeat to Edu Guell.
On court six, Katz was in the midst of a second-set tiebreak, 7-5, 6-6 (3-3), when the match was decided.
Miami hits the road for its first conference road match of the season when it takes on the Louisville Cardinals on March 18. First serve is set for 3 p.m. in Louisville, Ky.
#40 Duke 4, #24 Miami 2
Singles competition
- Garrett Johns (DU) def. #99 Dan Martin (UM) 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
- Andrew Zhang (DU) def. Bojan Jankulovski (UM) 6-4, 6-4
- Benjamin Hannestad (UM) def. Connor Krug (DU) 6-2, 6-2
- Faris Khan (DU) def. Oren Vasser (UM) 6-4, 6-3
- Edu Guell (DU) def. Juan Martin Jalif (UM) 7-6 (7-5), 6-4
- Martin Katz (UM) vs. Andrew Dale (DU) 7-5, 6-6 (3-3), unfinished
Doubles competition
- Juan Martin Jalif/Franco Aubone (UM) def. Connor Krug/Sean Sculley (DU) 6-2
- Benjamin Hannestad/Martin Katz (UM) def. Faris Khan/Andrew Zhang (DU) 6-3
- Bojan Jankulovski/Dan Martin (UM) def. Garrett Johns/Andrew Dale (DU) 6-2
