Texas A&M Rallies Past Duke in ITA Kickoff Thriller
RALEIGH, N.C. - For a while, it looked like Duke men’s tennis was about to punch its ticket to the ITA Kickoff Weekend Championship in style. The Blue Devils came out firing, grabbing the doubles point and riding a dominant performance from Pedro Rodenas in singles to take a 2-0 lead over No.
11 Texas A&M. But in a match that swung dramatically in the singles phase, the Aggies stormed back with four straight wins to steal a 4-2 victory and the championship berth.
Let’s break down how it all unfolded - and where things turned.
Duke Starts Strong in Doubles
Just like they did on Friday, Duke wasted no time setting the tone in doubles. On court one, Pedro Rodenas and Cooper Williams made quick work of Texas A&M’s Theo Papamalamis and Togan Tokac, rolling to a 6-2 win. After trading early games at 1-1, the Duke duo flipped the switch, rattling off four straight to build a 5-1 cushion before closing it out.
Texas A&M answered on court two behind their nationally ranked pairing of Alex Frusina and Kholo Montsi. The No. 29 tandem turned a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead against Dylan Long and Gerard Planelles Ripoll. Duke clawed back to 5-4, but couldn’t force the tiebreaker, evening the doubles score at one apiece.
That left it all up to court three - again. And once more, Duke delivered.
Teddy Truwit and Alexander Visser jumped out to a 2-0 lead, then held off a gritty push from Tiago Pires and Markus Molder to win 6-4 and clinch the doubles point. The Aggies kept it close throughout, but Duke’s team held their nerve in the big moments.
Rodenas Extends the Lead, But Texas A&M Takes Over
With the doubles point secured, Duke kept the momentum going on court two. Rodenas, facing No. 73-ranked Frusina, was locked in early.
The two were knotted at 3-3 in the first set before Rodenas found another gear, winning nine of the next 10 games to cruise to a 6-4, 6-0 victory. The sophomore improved to 4-0 in dual matches this spring, all at the No. 2 spot - and he made it look easy.
That 2-0 lead was promising - but it was also the high-water mark for the Blue Devils.
Texas A&M got on the board with Papamalamis’ win over Cooper Williams on court one. It was a battle early.
Papamalamis led 5-2 in the first set, but Williams fought back to force a tiebreaker. The Aggie sophomore regained control there, jumping ahead 5-1 in the breaker to take the set, then pulling away in the second for a 7-6 (3), 6-2 win.
Williams, now 3-1 on court one this season, showed flashes but couldn’t quite turn the tide.
On court four, Pires and Planelles Ripoll went the distance in a back-and-forth three-setter. Pires took the first set 6-2, but Planelles Ripoll responded in the second, flipping a 3-2 deficit into a 6-4 win to force a third. The Duke junior even led 3-2 in the decider, but Pires surged late, winning three of the final four games to level the team score at 2-2.
From there, the Aggies kept rolling.
Tokac gave Texas A&M its first lead of the day with a straight-set win over Long on court five. Tokac was in control throughout, building leads of 4-1 in the first and 4-2 in the second. Long made a push to close the gap, but Tokac stayed composed, closing it out 6-3, 6-4.
That left court three - and the clinch - in the hands of Montsi and Visser.
Montsi Seals It in a Three-Set Marathon
It was a rollercoaster on court three. Visser led early in the first, but Montsi battled back to take a 5-4 lead.
Visser forced a tiebreaker, but the Aggie senior edged him 7-5 to grab the opener. In the second, the two traded blows until Visser broke through at 5-5, winning the final two games to take it 7-5 and force a deciding set.
But Montsi had the final say. The No. 112-ranked Aggie came out firing in the third, winning six of the final seven games to clinch the match - and the team victory - for Texas A&M.
What’s Next for Duke
Despite the tough loss, Duke showed plenty of fight against a top-15 opponent. Rodenas continues to be a bright spot, and the doubles teams are finding rhythm early in the season.
The Blue Devils won’t have much time to dwell, though - they hit the road next weekend for a pair of ranked matchups, first at No. 25 Illinois on Friday, then at No.
23 Kentucky on Sunday.
The road doesn’t get easier, but this team has already proven it can hang with the best. Now it’s about closing the deal.
Match Results
Doubles (Order: 1, 2, 3)
1.
Rodenas/Williams (DU) def. Papamalamis/Tokac (TAMU) - 6-2
- Frusina/Montsi (TAMU) def.
Long/Planelles Ripoll (DU) - 6-4
3.
Truwit/Visser (DU) def. Pires/Molder (TAMU) - 6-4
Singles (Order: 2, 1, 4, 5, 3)
1.
Papamalamis (TAMU) def. Williams (DU) - 7-6 (3), 6-2
- Rodenas (DU) def.
Frusina (TAMU) - 6-4, 6-0
3.
Montsi (TAMU) def. Visser (DU) - 7-6 (5), 5-7, 6-1
- Pires (TAMU) def.
Planelles Ripoll (DU) - 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
5.
Tokac (TAMU) def. Long (DU) - 6-3, 6-4
- Jayaraman (DU) vs.
Molder (TAMU) - 6-6 (2-1), unfinished
Duke came out swinging, but Texas A&M had the staying power. The Blue Devils will look to regroup and keep building as the season heats up.