Match 1
[8] Duke vs. VCU – Saturday at Noon
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Match 2
[8] Duke vs. Princeton – Sunday at Noon
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Match 3
[8] Duke vs. North Carolina Central – Sunday at 5 p.m.
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DURHAM – No. 8 Duke men’s tennis is set to open its home slate with three matches at the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center this weekend.
The Blue Devils host VCU on Saturday at noon before welcoming Princeton and North Carolina Central for a doubleheader on Sunday at noon and 5 p.m., respectively. Parking is available in the Blue Zone. To view the map, click HERE (PDF). Saturday’s contest against the Rams will be a Royal Blue match.
One Duke singles player and one doubles pair were ranked by the ITA in its final fall listing. Sophomore Pedro Rodenas placed No. 21 in singles, while the doubles duo of graduate students Michael Heller and Andrew Zhang ranked No. 14.
Live stats and video are available for all matches.
Match Information
All home Duke tennis matches are free admission.
General public parking will be available in the blue zone, with the easiest entrance being at the south end of the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center. ADA parking is available in the Card Lot with an accessible entrance available on the north end of the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center. Guests with disabilities will be able to use the elevator indoors to go up to the seating level. The newly renovated addition to the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center will be accessible via a mulched path on the northwest side of the building. Guests will then be able to use the elevator to go to the seating level.
SEASON OPENER SUCCESS
Since Ramsey Smith took over in 2008-09, the Blue Devils hold a 13-2 record in season openers. In its last 15 opening matches, Duke is 13-2 with its two losses coming to Elon, 4-3, in 2014 and No. 20 South Carolina, 4-1, in 2021.
HISTORY WITH VCU
Saturday’s contest will be the 37th all-time meeting between the two programs as the Blue Devils hold a 33-3 edge on the series. Duke recorded a 4-2 victory the last time they met on Feb. 11, 2022, in Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center.
SCOUTING THE RAMS
The Rams participated in a round robin tournament on Jan. 5-7 hosted by the University of South Carolina, in which they finished the event with an overall record of 12-13. The Rams are coming off their sixth Atlantic-10 men’s tennis title in 2023 after they defeated Dayton, 4-0, in the championship match. Head coach Anthony Rossi was named the A-10 Co-Coach of the Year, for the fourth time in his career.
HISTORY WITH PRINCETON
It’s been 16 years since the Blue Devils and Tigers last faced off with Duke holding the slim 11-8 edge on the all-time series. During the last meeting on Jan. 29, 2008, Duke came out on top, 5-2 in Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Princeton opens its 2024 spring season on Friday against North Carolina Central and NC State before traveling to face off against Duke on Sunday. Sophomore Fnu Nidunjianzan was named First Team All-Ivy League last season and he returns for his sophomore campaign. In addition, sophomore Ellis Short is currently ranked in the ITA top-100 as the No. 87 singles player, while one doubles pairing in Nidunjianzan and Paul Inchauspe garner the No. 28 ranking in doubles action.
HISTORY WITH NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL
Duke currently leads the all-time series with the Eagles, 18-0, with all of the matches being played on the Blue Devils’ campus. These two programs met Jan. 22 of last year with Duke recording a 7-0 win over the Eagles.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
North Carolina Central began its season on Thursday when dropped a 4-0 decision at No. 13 North Carolina at Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center. It followed that up with a 7-0 loss to Princeton on Friday in a neutral site match. The Eagles return five players from last year’s squad that finished 8-16 overall.
UP NEXT
The Blue Devils welcome NC State, California and Middle Tennessee for the ITA Kickoff Weekend inside Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center on Jan. 27-28. Duke is scheduled to play NC State on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 12:30 p.m. before facing off against either California or Middle Tennessee on Sunday. The start time for Sunday’s match has yet to be determined.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils men’s tennis, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching “DukeMTEN”.
#GoDuke