In their first 2014 postseason contest, the Blue Devils battled an unexpected opponent—the weather.
In a rematch of last year's ACC Championship quarterfinal, No. 11 Duke bested Virginia Tech 4-3 to advance to the semifinal match. Despite beginning play ahead of schedule at 11:30 a.m., severe weather brought delays and complications that kept the match going until 8 p.m.
“That was a heck of a college tennis match,” head coach Ramsey Smith said. “Two teams competing incredibly hard and leaving everything on the court.”
After nearly two and a half hours of uninterrupted competition, tournament officials postponed play on all courts due to lightning. One attempt to return to the courts after a three-hour delay failed due to another influx of storms, causing the four teams competing to relocate to indoor arenas.
Attempting to regain the momentum, Duke (19-5, 11-1 in the ACC) relied on its depth, getting victories from its third, fourth and sixth-seeded singles players to seal the win. Coming off the court first, No. 92 Bruno Semenzato outlasted Hunter Koontz, edging out a 6-4, 7-5 win in a match filled with long baseline rallies to earn his eighth win in nine matches and put the Blue Devils ahead 2-0.
Shortly after, Virginia Tech (14-11, 5-7) made its mark with a three-set win by No. 121 Andreas Bjerrehus against No. 36 Fred Saba, snapping the Blue Devil senior’s eight-game win streak with two straight 6-4 set wins.
“Full credit for Virginia Tech for battling [its] way back in the match—they are tough,” Smith said. “We are tough as well, and I’m proud that we found a way to win and advance.”
Junior Rafael Hemmeler clinched the match for Duke with a grueling defeat of Hokie Joao Monteiro. The Zurich native lost a second-set tiebreaker but eked out the third-set tiebreaker 9-7 to send his squad to the semifinals.
Hemmeler has won the deciding match for the Blue Devils multiple times this season—most recently claiming a home win against Clemson April 11th—using consistent baseline strokes to keep the ball in play and outlast his opponents.
“It all came down to Rafa at the end, and he saved multiple match points to keep us alive,” Smith said. “He’s been in that position before, and he loves those moments. I had full faith in him and I knew he was going to battle until the very end.”
Before the storm, Duke grabbed a 1-0 lead after Josh Levine and Jason Tahir—bouncing back from a loss to North Carolina that snapped their 6-0 record as partners—cruised to an 8-3 win against Hokies Koontz and Monteiro. At the top seed, No. 52 Raphael Hemmeler and Fred Saba upset Virginia Tech’s 44th-ranked duo of Bjerrehus and Amerigo Contini 8-4.
The Blue Devils’ third singles contributor finished just after Bjerrehus’ defeat of Saba to quell the Virginia Tech comeback and give Duke a 3-1 advantage. Freshmen TJ Pura marched to his 14th straight win to remain undefeated in conference play. The Pacific Palisades, Calif., native has yet to drop a set against an ACC foe, even in the midst of a tightly-contested quarterfinal matchup.
“This team has a lot of heart, and it shows in those tight moments,” Smith said.
After a full day at the Cary Tennis Park, the Blue Devils will return Saturday to face the winner of North Carolina and N.C. State in the semifinal round. The Wolfpack-Tar Heel matchup, which was slated to begin at 3 p.m., did not start until after 7 p.m., ensuring a late finish and quick turnaround for the winning team.
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