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BLACKSBURG, Va. – The 52nd-ranked Virginia Tech men’s tennis team fell to 8th-ranked Duke, 7-0 on Sunday afternoon in ACC competition at Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center in Blacksburg, Va.

The Hokies (10-4, 2-1 ACC) fell behind 1-0 after the doubles point. Tech dropped the No. 2, 8-6, but went in to tiebreakers in the No. 1 and No. 3.

Tech’s 21st-ranked Andreas Bjerrehus and Amerigo Contini fell behind in the No. 1 doubles against 1st-ranked Henrique Cunha and Raphael Hemmeler, but came back as the two teams were tied at 8-8. The Blue Devils (15-4, 3-1 ACC) secured the match in the tiebreaker for the 9-8 (7-2) win.

In the No. 3 doubles, the Hokies’ Trpimir Kujundzic and Marko Lovrinovic went back and forth with Duke’s Jason Tahir and Daniel McCall throughout the match and the two teams were tied at 8-8. Duke held off the Hokies in the tiebreak to win 9-8 (7-4).

Duke extended its lead going into singles as Tahir defeated Joao Monteiro, 6-3, 6-2 in the No. 6. The Blue Devils went on top 3-0 with a win in No. 3 where 25th-ranked Michael Redlicki had a 6-1, 6-2 win against Tech’s Lucas Oliveira.

The Blue Devils secured the team win in the No. 5 singles. Duke’s 55th-ranked Hemmeler picked up a 6-2, 6-4 decision against Tech’s Kujundzic.

Duke and Virginia Tech battled on courts one and two with both matches going to three sets. In the No. 2 singles, Duke’s 27th-ranked Fred Saba won the first set 6-2, but Tech’s 91st-ranked Bjerrehus came back in the second for a 6-3 win. Saba rallied in the final set for a 6-1 win.

In the No. 1 singles, Tech’s 73rd-ranked Contini took Duke’s 10th-ranked Cunha to three sets. After dropping the opening set, 7-5, Contini came back in the second to win 6-3. Cunha held on in the final set to secure the win 6-3.

The Hokies will be back on the court on Thursday, March 28 when they travel to face in-state ACC rival No. 1 ranked Virginia. Match time is slated for 3 p.m. in Charlottesville, Va.

Singles
1. #10 Henrique Cunha (DU) def. #73 Amerigo Contini (VT) 7-5, 3-6, 6-3
2. #27 Fred Saba (DU) def. #91 Andreas Bjerrehus (VT) 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
3. #26 Michael Redlicki (DU) def. Lucas Oliveira (VT) 6-1, 6-2
4. #89 Chris Mengel (DU) def. Hunter Koontz (VT) 6-4, 7-6(5)
5. #55 Raphael Hemmeler (DU) def. Trpimir Kujundzic (VT) 6-2, 6-4
6. Jason Tahir (DU) def. Joao Monteiro (VT) 6-3, 6-2
Order of finish: 6,3,5,4,2,1

Doubles
1. #1 Cunha/Hemmeler (DU) def. #21 Bjerrehus/Contini (VT) 9-8(2)
2. #25 Mengel/Saba (DU) def. Koontz/Oliveira (VT) 8-6
3. Tahir/Daniel McCall (DU) def. Kujundzic/Marko Lovrinovic (VT) 9-8(4)
Order of finish: 2,1,3

For updates on Virginia Tech men's tennis, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_MTennis).