#9 Duke Defeats Clemson 7-0

CLEMSON, SC – Ninth-ranked Duke defeated #19 Clemson 7-0 in a men’s Atlantic Coast Conference tennis match at Clemson, SC Friday afternoon.With the victory, Duke improves its record to 17-4 overall and 5-1 in league play.  Clemson falls to 14-4 overall this season, and 3-2 in the ACC.In doubles, the nation’s top-ranked doubles team of Henrique Cunha and Raphael Hemmeler of Duke defeated Clemson’s Yannick Maden and Dominique Maden 8-3.  The Maden brothers are ranked 17th nationally.Clemson’s number-three doubles team of Hunter Harrington Gerardo Meza defeated Fred Saba and Daniel McCall 8-2.Duke doubles team of Jason Tahir and Michael Redlicki defeated Zachary Rigsby and Ayrton Wibowo 8-4 at number-two doubles to claim the doubles point.  Tahir and Redlicki are ranked 14th nationally as a doubles team.At number-one singles, fifth-ranked Henriue Cunha of Duke defeated 26th-ranked  Yannick Maden 6-4, 6-3.  Duke won the other five singles matches giving the Blue Devils the 7-0 ACC victory.“We played a great team today,” said Clemson Head Coach Chuck McCuen.  We knew they were an outstanding team coming into today’s match.  I thought Gerardo Meza did a good job today and competed well.  Austin Ansari, our freshman competed well today.  He doesn’t like to loose.  Austin is a very disciplined player, and I am impressed with his play and attitude.“In doubles, our number-three doubles team of Hunter Harrington and Meza executed well.  I thought they played with a lot of energy.  Meza is a quiet leader there is no excuses with him.  He comes to work everyday and has improved over the course of the season,” said McCuen.“We got beat by a better Duke team today.  Hopefully we will grow in this defeat.  We must get ready for a dangerous North Carolina team coming to play us Sunday.  They started out in the top 20 this year and have played a hard schedule.  North Carolina not being ranked is very misleading.   I have a lot of respect for their program.  We will work hard tomorrow to get ready for them,” said McCuen.Clemson will play host to North Carolina on Sunday at 11:00 a.m. at the Hoke Sloan Tennis Center on the Tigers’ campus.#9 Duke 7, #19 Clemson 0Singles1. #5 Henriue Cunha (D) d. #26 Yannick Maden (CU) 6-4, 6-32. #25 Fred Saba (D) d. Hunter Harrington (CU) 6-4, 6-33. #56 Michael Redicki (D) d. Gerardo Meza (CU) 6-4, 6-44. #89 Chris Mengel (D) d. Dominique Maden (CU) 7-6 (7-5) 6-15. #73 Raphael Hemmeler (D) d. Zachary Rigsby (CU) 6-1, 6-06. Jason Tahir (D) d. Austin Ansari (CU) 6-4 7-6 (8-6)Order of Finish:  5, 2, 3, 1, 4, 6Doubles1. #1 Cunha/Hemmeler (D) d. #17 Y. Maden/D. Maden (CU) 8-32. #14 Tahir/Redicki (D) d. Rigsby/Wibowo (CU) 8-43. Harrington/Meza (CU) d. Saba/McCall (D) 8-2Order of Finish:  3, 1, 2