With Duke needing one more point to secure the victory in the ITA Kickoff Weekend Championship, it was senior Connor Krug who managed to step up once again. The Lakewood Ranch, Fla., native was battling strenuously against fifth-year senior Henry Ruger in the second set. Ruger gained momentum, winning four straight points to come back. The Vanderbilt crowd was getting into it, but Krug managed to stay firm and had two match points with a 5-4 lead in the second set. With a simple forehand return, Krug flexed to the crowd and shouted in exhilaration as his teammates surrounded him, securing yet another massive win.
With the wins against Old Dominion and Vanderbilt, the Blue Devils sport an impressive 4-0 start to their new season.
“It was just a great overall team effort,” head coach Ramsey Smith said. “Obviously, the momentum by grabbing the doubles point really helped ... and then obviously to begin singles, we had a couple guys come out firing.”
The tournament began Saturday with Duke facing Old Dominion. Sophomore Cooper Williams and graduate transfer Andreja Petrovic got the first win in the doubles. This was then followed by Krug and French transfer Remy Dugardin giving Duke a 1-0 lead to start the match.
From there on, the Blue Devils dominated the Big Blues, taking the lead in five of the six games after the first set. With Krug and Petrovic winning easily, it was up to Dugardin to win it for the Blue Devils. The Frenchman had managed to outrun his opponent, barely winning the first set in an exciting tiebreak. Up 5-2 on his serve, the graduate gave Duke a crucial win to take the first match win of the tournament.
“Remy has just been unbelievable. The guy gets better every single match,” Smith said. “He's like the nicest kid on the planet and I can just see him being more and more comfortable. He seems to really thrive in the team environment and he just loves winning for the team.”
Heading against Vanderbilt Sunday, the Commodores were determined to make it a tough task for the home team. The Blue Devils started where they finished off with Dugardin and Krug winning the first doubles match and setting the tone quickly. Nonetheless, on court one it was Vanderbilt who took the win. It all now depended on Williams and Petrovic, who were winning 5-4 with the serve in hand. With a 40-30 lead, Petrovic served and was met with a tough return which he barely got to, initiating a long rally which eventually favored the Blue Devils. Duke had won the doubles point, but the Commodores had sent a message.
“The doubles was important, but we showed that against Harvard, we can lose the doubles point and still win. So I don't want to put too much emphasis on that, but it's obviously nice to win that,” Smith said.
The scene was set for a final singles matchup that promised to be competitive. While Williams and Dugardin took 4-0 leads early on, the scores were tight on the other courts. Junior Pedro Rodenas was losing 4-0 on court two, as fellow Spaniard Gerard Planelles Ripoll was also losing 2-0. With the veteran Petrovic losing the first set in a close tiebreak, 7-6, and Krug in a very tight match, there was a tinge of nervousness in the Duke crowd. Even so, Rodenas managed to courageously comeback against all odds and win the first set. Meanwhile, Dugardin and Williams were showing flawless rally skills and an elite sense of managing the court, frustrating both of their opponents.
“... Cooper played a very tough player. One who got a massive win against Cornell yesterday, and that guy has a lot of firepower. So if Cooper played a little bit careful, that guy could hit through him. But Cooper was just an absolute machine in doubles and in singles,” Smith said.
Because of the impressive play of transfers Williams and Dugardin, who ended up winning their matches while only giving up a combined seven games, Blue Devil fans were able to take a sigh of relief. Although Rodenas was losing the second set and Petrovic was struggling to stay alive in the second set, Krug had won the first and was leading confidently in the second. The weight of the team rested on his shoulders and it is safe to say that he did not disappoint.
“I think one of the great things about this team is the depth of 13 guys,” Smith said.
As the Blue Devils look to keep their winning streak alive and head to the road, it will be key for all of the players to be healthy. Nonetheless, taking home the ITA Championship is definitely a good sign early on in the season as they prepare to take on an aggressive Illinois team Friday.
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