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DURHAM, N.C. – The Virginia Tech men’s tennis team, ranked 49th in the country, suffered its second conference loss of the season on Friday, as the Hokies fell to the 13th-ranked Duke Blue Devils 5-2 at the Ambler Tennis Stadium in Durham, N.C.

Duke (10-4, 2-0 ACC) grabbed an early 1-0 lead after winning all three doubles matches, earning the point. In No. 1 doubles, Duke’s Fred Saba and Raphael Hemmeler topped Andreas Bjerrehus and Florian Nicoud of Virginia Tech 8-2.

Tech’s Amerigo Contini and Joao Monteiro battled the Blue Devils’ 28th-ranked duo of Michael Redlicki and Jason Tahir forcing the tie-breaker in the No. 2 doubles, but the Duke pair held on for the 8-7 (12-10) win.

In the final doubles match, Duke’s Bruno Semenzato and Daniel McCall edged Jai Corbett and Hunter Koontz 8-7 (7-4) in the No. 3 match.

Virginia Tech’s (8-6 1-2 ACC) Bjerrehus evened the match at 1-1 with a 7-5, 6-4 win over 58th-ranked Saba in the No. 3 singles match. The win was Bjerrehus’ second over a ranked opponent this season.

The Blue Devils’ Hemmeler put Duke back on top 2-1 with a victory in No. 5 singles, defeating the Hokies’ Aaron Gomez 6-0, 6-3. Duke’s 40th-ranked Tahir followed with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Tech’s Koontz in No. 2 singles, extending the Blue Devils’ lead to 3-1.

Duke clinched the match in No. 6 singles, where the Blue Devils’ Josh Levine used three sets to top Tech’s Nicoud. Levine won the opening set 6-2. Nicoud then grabbed the second set 7-5, but Levine won the third 6-3.

The No. 1 singles match pitted two players ranked in the top 30 in the nation. Tech’s 24th-ranked Contini edged Duke’s 30th-ranked Redlicki 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. Contini’s victory extended his winning streak to eight matches.

In the final singles match, the Blue Devils’ 92nd-ranked Semenzato defeated the Hokies’ Monteiro, who entered on the match on a five-match winning streak, 6-4, 7-6 (9-7) in No. 4 singles.

Virginia Tech will be back on the court Sunday, Mar. 23 to take on the sixth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels at 2 p.m. in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Singles
1. #24 Amerigo Contini (VT) def. #30 Michael Redlicki (DUKE) 6-2, 3-6, 6-4
2. #40 Jason Tahir (DUKE) def. Hunter Koontz (VT) 6-1, 6-3
3. Andreas Bjerrehus (VT) def. #58 Fred Saba (DUKE) 7-5, 6-4
4. #92 Bruno Semenzato (DUKE) def. Joao Monteiro (VT) 6-4, 7-6 (9-7)
5. Raphael Hemmeler (DUKE) def. Aaron Gomez (VT) 6-0, 6-3
6. Josh Levine (DUKE) def. Florian Nicoud (VT) 6-2, 5-7, 6-3
Order of Finish: 3,5,2,6*,1,4

Doubles
1. Fred Saba/Raphael Hemmeler (DUKE) def. Andreas Bjerrehus/Florian Nicoud (VT) 8-2
2. #28 Michael Redlicki/Jason Tahir (DUKE) def. Amerigo Contini/Joao Monteiro (VT) 8-7 (12-10)
3. Bruno Semenzato/Daniel McCall (DUKE) def. Jai Corbett/Hunter Koontz (VT) 8-7 (7-4)
Order of Finish: 1,2*,3

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