#14 Vols Rally, Defeat #17 Duke in NCAA Second Round, 4-3

Sunday, May 4

1 PM

University of Tennessee

#17 Duke

#14 Vols Rally, Defeat #17 Duke in NCAA Second Round, 4-3

May 04, 2025 | Men's Tennis

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The 14th-seeded Tennessee men's tennis team completed the ultimate comeback behind Alex Kotzen's clinch to beat No. 17 Duke, 4-3, on Sunday afternoon at Barksdale Stadium.

The Vols (22-8) went down 3-0 early after the Blue Devils (19-9) claimed the doubles point swiftly and picked up two singles wins on courts three and four. However, momentum started to build for the Big Orange when the four remaining courts pushed their respective matches to three sets.

No. 29 Shunsuke Mitsui was the initial spark to put UT's first point on the board, grinding out a gritty 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 win over 47th-ranked Cooper Williams on court two. Ian Cruz helped chip away at Duke's lead with a win on court six, taking down Saahith Jayaraman in 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 fashion.

Jan Kobierski evened the score at three apiece, coming out on top of a third-set tiebreaker, 7-5, 2-6, 7-6(3), against Connor King at the No. 5 spot, leaving 23rd-ranked Alex Kotzen as the deciding factor atop the lineup.

Kotzen pulled out a 7-5 win in his first set against No. 25 Pedro Rodenas, but narrowly dropped his second set in a tiebreaker, 6-7(3). The graduate student went down 5-0 in the final set, then fired off seven straight games to post a 7-5 third-set score.

FEELING SUPER
Sunday's victory marks the sixth straight year that Tennessee has made an NCAA Super Regional. Each year that the Vols have accomplished this feat, they have done so at home on Rocky Top. Following the NCAA Second Round victories, UT is 3-2 in Super Regional matches during that time span.

CRUZ CONTROL
Ian Cruz has continued to insert himself as a staple in the Tennessee men's tennis singles lineup during the second half of the season. The Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, native has posted a 20-5 dual match singles record on the year, including a 17-3 mark at the No. 6 spot. In his past 10 completed contests, Cruz has notched a 9-1 mark, helping guide the Vols to another NCAA Super Regional appearance.

UP NEXT
Tennessee will travel to Austin, Texas, to take on No. 3 Texas. Match details such as date and time will be announced later.

RESULTS
Singles
1. #23 Alex Kotzen (TENN) def. #25 Pedro Rodenas (DU) 7-5, 6-7 (3-7), 7-5
2. #29 Shunsuke Mitsui (TENN) def. #47 Cooper Williams (DU) 1-6, 7-5, 6-2
3. Andreja Petrovic (DU) def. Alejandro Moreno (TENN) 6-4, 7-5
4. Remy Dugardin (DU) def. Jose Garcia (TENN) 6-0, 6-1
5. Jan Kobierski (TENN) def. Connor Krug (DU) 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 (7-3)
6. Ian Cruz (TENN) def. Saahith Jayaraman (DU) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3

Order of Finish: 4,3,2,6,5,1

Doubles
1. #7 Cooper Williams/Theo Winegar (DU) def. #9 Alex Kotzen/Alejandro Moreno (TENN) 6-3
2. #62 Pedro Rodenas/Andreja Petrovic (DU) def. Shunsuke Mitsui/Alan Jesudason (TENN) 6-2
3. Jose Garcia/Lance Nisbet (TENN) vs. #90 Remy Dugardin/G Planelles Ripoll (DU) 4-4, unfinished

Order of Finish: 2,1

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