With the sun shining brightly in a clear blue sky, it was a perfect day for the third-ranked men's tennis team. As the Blue Devils faced off across the nets with the Terrapins, the results were as favorable as the weather.
Using a powerful serve, a quick shot to the corner, or the slow, deliberate maneuvering of an opponent, Duke (9-3, 1-0 in the ACC) won every set to dominate Maryland (4-5, 0-2) 7-0 in the match. The victory was the team's 34th consecutive regular-season win in the conference.
"There was a real difference in the level of play," coach Jay Lapidus said. "They don't have scholarships, and that can make it tough to compete sometimes."
The afternoon began when Duke senior Ramsey Smith and freshman Phillip King defeated Maryland junior Jonathan Murchison and senior Luan Nguyen in doubles, 8-2. They were followed by Blue Devil seniors Marko Cerenko and Ted Rueger, who won 8-3 over Terrapin seniors Larry Chou and Jonathan Neeter.
In the final doubles set, sophomore Yorke Allen and freshman Ryan Heinberg topped the Maryland team of sophomore Chris Chiu and senior Dan Kenshalo 8-1. The 3-0 performance by the Blue Devils gave them the match point for doubles play.
Smith led Duke in No. 1 singles play as well, defeating Chiu in two straight sets with scores of 6-2 and 6-4.
Cerenko, the nation's fifth-ranked player, bested Neeter in No. 2 singles play, winning both games with a score of 6-1. This set extends Cerenko's perfect ACC record in regular-season singles play to 24-0, a remarkable accomplishment for the Atlanta native.
"Maryland does not have any scholarships so it was kind of an easy match," Cerenko said. "I approach every ACC match the way I would approach any other, though. I've just been really fortunate to run up this streak, and it gives me great confidence every time I step on the court against an ACC opponent."
Allen won at No. 3 singles over Murchison, beating him 6-2, 6-4. His victory gave the Blue Devils a 4-0 advantage in the match, ensuring Duke a team win for the overall contest. Sophomore Mike Yani triumphed over Nguyen to claim No. 4 singles for Duke, 6-2, 6-1.
Heinberg, who only plays sparingly, defeated Kenshale 6-3, 6-0 for the No. 6 singles point. The match ended near dusk when Rueger fended off a late comeback from Chou in their second set to win No. 5 singles 6-1, 7-5 as the sun slipped below the bleachers.
Things will get more difficult for the Blue Devils this weekend as they head out on the road to take on No. 23 Georgia Tech tomorrow. Duke will follow that with a match Sunday against conference rival Clemson.
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