COURTESY UMBC SPORTS INFORMATION

DURHAM, N.C.-The 14th-ranked Duke Blue Devils (16-9) defeated America East champion UMBC (15-6), 4-0 in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Tennis Championships at Ambler Tennis Stadium.

The doubles point was tightly-contested and came down to the No. 2 match between UMBC’s Irfan Shamasdin/ David Jackson vs. Duke’s Dylan Arnould/Ned Samuelson. The Blue Devil duo prevailed, 8-5, and also captured the No. 3 match as Peter Rodrigues/Kiril Dimitrov defeated UMBC’s tandem of Chris Meyer/Fernando Ferreria, 8-1. UMBC’s No. 1 team of Fredi Voorman/Nick Savage-Pollock was leading their Duke counterparts of Joey Atas/David Goulet, 6-5 when the match was halted because the doubles point had been decided.

The Blue Devils won the No. 5, No. 2 and No. 3 singles matches to capture the match. At. No. 5, Goulet defeated Savage-Pollock, 6-4, 6-1 and at No. 2, Atas, ranked No. 105 in the nation, defeated Meyer, 6-1, 6-2. In the clinching match, Rodrigues, ranked No. 79, edged Jackson, 6-2, 6-4.

The loss ended a five-match winning streak for UMBC. Duke advances to play the winner of the East Tennessee State-Alabama match. It was the Retrievers’ fifth appearance in the NCAA Championships since 2000.

Duke 4, UMBC 0 (NCAA First Round at Durham, N.C.)

Doubles

No. 3   Rodrigues/Dimitrov, D, def. Meyer/Ferreria, UMBC, 8-1

No. 2   Arnould/Samuelson, D, def. Shamasdin/Jackson, UMBC, 8-5

No. 1   Voorman/Savage-Pollock, UMBC led, Atas/Goulet, D, 6-5 (DNF)

Singles

No. 5   Goulet, D, def. Savage-Pollock, UMBC, 6-4, 6-1

No. 2   Atas, D, def. Meyer, UMBC, 6-1, 6-2

No. 3   Rodrigues, D, def. Jackson, UMBC, 6-2, 6-4

No. 1   Dimitrov, D, led Shamasdin, UMBC, 6-2, 2-3 (DNF)

No. 4   Arnould, D, led Voorman, UMBC, 7-5, 3-0 (DNF)

No. 6   Stone, D, led Ferreira, UMBC, 6-2, 4-3 (DNF)