DURHAM, N.C. - No. 23 Stanford dropped a 4-1 decision to No. 10 Duke on Saturday afternoon in the second round of the NCAA Championships.
Making its 36th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance, Stanford (18-7, 6-1 Pac-12) enjoyed one of its best seasons in recent memory while displaying continued progress throughout the season. Showcasing a lineup that featured three freshmen, the Cardinal notched its first postseason victory since 2012 and clinched a share of the Pac-12 regular-season championship for the first time since 2010. Stanford also reached the Pac-12 Tournament for the first time in school history.
An area of strength all season long, Stanford captured the doubles point for the 21st time in 25 matches. However, the Cardinal was unable to keep pace with Duke (24-6, 8-4 ACC) in singles competition.
Stanford jumped out to a 1-0 lead by earning a hard-fought doubles point. The Cardinal posted an 8-7 (3) victory from John Morrissey and Robert Stineman at the No. 1 spot, followed by an 8-6 triumph from Tom Fawcett and Maciek Romanowicz at the No. 2 position.
Duke then evened the match at 1-1 following a 6-4, 6-0 win from Nicolas Alvarez over Tom Fawcett at the top spot of the lineup.
The Blue Devils tacked on a few straight-set victories, increasing their lead to 3-1. Bruno Semenzato snapped David Hsu’s 11-match winning streak with a 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 4 followed by Raphael Hemmeler’s 6-4, 6-4 victory over David Wilczynski at the No. 3 position.
The clincher came from court six, where TJ Pura defeated Nolan Paige 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.
Both remaining matches on courts two and five were already into a third set but abandoned.
Stanford’s 18 victories under first-year head coach Paul Goldstein were its most since a 20-9 finish in 2012.
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No. 10 Duke 4, No. 23 Stanford 1
DOUBLES
1) No. 9 Morrissey/Stineman (STAN) d. No. 20 Alvarez/Hemmeler (DUKE) 8-7 (3)
2) No. 69 Fawcett/Maciek Romanowicz (STAN) d. Josh Levine/Tahir (DUKE) 8-6
3) Paige/Wilczynski (STAN) vs. Pura/Semenzato (DUKE) abandoned
Order of Finish: 1, 2
SINGLES
1) No. 14 Nicolas Alvarez (DUKE) d. No. 26 Tom Fawcett (STAN) 6-4, 6-0
2) No. 71 John Morrissey (STAN) vs. No. 41 Jason Tahir (DUKE) abandoned
3) No. 57 Raphael Hemmeler (DUKE) d. David Wilczynski (STAN) 6-4, 6-4
4) Bruno Semenzato (DUKE) d. David Hsu (STAN) 6-2, 6-3
5) Robert Stineman (STAN) vs. Chris Mengel (DUKE) abandoned
6) TJ Pura (DUKE) d. Nolan Paige (STAN) 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
Order of Finish: 1, 4, 3, 6