Duke Men’s Tennis Rallies Past No. 9 NC State with Statement Singles Performance
RALEIGH, N.C. - Don’t look now, but Duke men’s tennis is making early-season noise - and doing it in dramatic fashion. Down after doubles and facing the nation’s ninth-ranked team on the road, the No.
18 Blue Devils stormed back with four gritty singles wins to take down NC State, 4-2, on Friday afternoon at the J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center.
With the win, Duke improves to 4-0 and punches its ticket to Saturday’s ITA Kickoff Weekend Championship match. More importantly, it’s the second straight time Duke has toppled a top-10 NC State squad - the last coming in a tight 4-3 battle during last spring’s ACC Championship quarterfinals.
This time, the comeback was sparked by a career-defining win from Cooper Williams on the top court and backed by a deep, resilient singles lineup that refused to blink.
Doubles Drama Sets the Stage
Duke came out fast in doubles, with Pedro Rodenas and Cooper Williams wasting no time on court one. The duo jumped ahead 3-1 and cruised to a 6-2 win over Cody Benton and Ainius Sabaliauskas, improving to 3-0 as a tandem this spring.
But NC State quickly answered. On court two, Jules Leroux and Darius Pop capitalized on a mid-set surge to take down Dylan Long and Gerard Planelles Ripoll, 6-4. The Wolfpack broke open a 2-2 tie with three straight games, and though Duke clawed back a bit, the deficit proved too much.
That left the doubles point hanging in the balance on court three, where Teddy Truwit and Alexander Visser battled William Manning and Charlie Camus in a marathon. It went to a tiebreaker - and then some.
Duke led 3-2 early, but NC State surged ahead 6-4. The Blue Devils fought back, pushing it to the brink, but Manning and Camus eventually closed it out 11-9 to give the Wolfpack the early 1-0 lead.
Williams Sparks the Comeback
Down a point and needing a spark, Duke turned to its anchor at the top - and Williams delivered in a big way. Facing No.
9 Martin Borisiouk, Williams played with poise and confidence, notching the biggest ranked win of his Duke career in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4. He’s now 3-0 on court one this spring, and this one was as clutch as they come.
Williams took control late in the first set, winning three straight games to close it out. In the second, he broke open a tight 3-2 lead and never let Borisiouk back in, closing it out to tie the match at 1-1.
Rodenas, Planelles Ripoll Keep the Pressure On
Next up was Rodenas, who kept the momentum rolling with a composed 6-3, 6-2 win over Leroux on court two. After falling behind 2-1 in the first set, Rodenas turned up the pressure, winning five of the next six games.
In the second set, he broke a 2-2 tie and didn’t look back, reeling off four straight to put Duke in front, 2-1. He, like Williams, is now 3-0 this spring in dual matches.
Then came a three-set grinder on court four, where Planelles Ripoll found himself in an early hole against Camus. After dropping the first set 3-6, he regrouped and gutted out a 7-5 second set to force a decider.
He jumped ahead 2-0 in the third, saw Camus rally to tie it at 4-4, but dug deep to take the final two games and give Duke a 3-1 lead. It was his first dual match win of the season - and it came at a perfect time.
NC State Pushes Back, But Long Slams the Door
The Wolfpack weren’t done yet. On court three, No.
85 William Manning rallied from a set down to beat Visser in a three-set battle, 5-7, 7-6 (3), 6-3. Visser had clawed back from a 1-4 deficit to take the first set, but Manning steadied himself in the tiebreaker and rode that momentum through the third to trim Duke’s lead to 3-2.
But any hopes of a full NC State comeback were dashed by Dylan Long on court five. After falling behind 3-1 in the first set, Long flipped the script and won five of the next six games to take it 6-4. He stayed aggressive in the second, turning a tight 3-2 edge into a 6-2 win that clinched the match for Duke.
What’s Next
With the win, Duke advances to face the winner of Tennessee vs. No.
13 Texas A&M on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. The prize?
A spot in the ITA National Team Indoor Championship, set for February 13-17 in Dallas and Waco, Texas.
Make no mistake - this was a statement win. Duke didn’t just survive a top-10 opponent on the road; they took the match by the scruff of the neck after dropping the doubles point. With Williams leading the charge and the rest of the singles lineup showing serious depth, the Blue Devils are looking like a squad that’s ready to contend on the national stage.
Match Summary
Doubles: 1.
Rodenas/Williams (DU) def. Benton/Sabaliauskas (NCSU) - 6-2
- Leroux/Pop (NCSU) def.
Long/Planelles Ripoll (DU) - 6-4
3.
Camus/Manning (NCSU) def. Truwit/Visser (DU) - 7-6 (11-9)
Singles: 1.
Williams (DU) def. No.
9 Borisiouk (NCSU) - 6-2, 6-4
2.
Rodenas (DU) def. Leroux (NCSU) - 6-3, 6-2
- No.
85 Manning (NCSU) def. Visser (DU) - 5-7, 7-6 (3), 6-3
- Planelles Ripoll (DU) def.
Camus (NCSU) - 3-6, 7-5, 6-4
5.
Long (DU) def. Pop (NCSU) - 6-4, 6-2
- Jayaraman (DU) vs.
Benton (NCSU) - 6-4, 2-2, unfinished
The Blue Devils are heating up - and if Friday’s performance is any indication, they’re just getting started.