Kentucky Falls 4-1 at Duke, Diallo Earns First No. 3 Singles Win

DURHAM, N.C. – Despite freshman Gabriel Diallo earning his second win in a top-three singles slot in the last three matches, Kentucky (7-4) fell 4-1 at Duke (8-1) on Sunday in the Wildcats’ third road test of the season.
 
“Not a great day, unfortunately,” said assistant coach Matthew Gordon. “Duke is well coached and played well. We have nearly two weeks now to train and work on some things. We are young, but this is a good team, and we will continue to get better.”
 
After the teams split the first two doubles decisions when César Bourgois and Ying-Ze Chen defeated Garrett Johns and Samuel Rubell by a score of 6-3 on court three, Diallo and Millen Hurrion came up short in a 7-6(2) tiebreaker versus sixth-ranked Nick Stachowiak and Sean Sculley to relinquish the first point of the day to the Blue Devils.
 
In a six-player lineup comprised of three newcomers and three underclassmen, Diallo was the only Wildcat to emerge victorious in singles play. The Montreal, Quebec, native defeated Duke junior Luca Keist 6-4, 6-3 in his first collegiate win as the No. 3 singles player in three tries.
 
Kentucky will take an 11-day hiatus before returning to the courts for a doubleheader at Hilary J. Boone Varsity Tennis Complex, facing Memphis at 1 p.m. ET and Kennesaw State at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 21.
 
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s tennis team, follow @UKMensTennis on Twitter and Facebook, @kentuckymenstennis on Instagram, and follow along on the web at UKAthletics.com.
 
Duke 4, Kentucky 1
 
Singles

1. Nick Stachowiak (DU) vs. Millen Hurrion (UK) 6-7(5), 5-2, unfinished
2. Edu Guell (DU) def. César Bourgois (UK) 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
3. Gabriel Diallo (UK) def. Luca Keist (DU) 6-4, 6-3
4. Spencer Furman (DU) def. #52 Alexandre LeBlanc (UK) 6-3, 6-4
5. Samuel Rubell (DU) vs. Kento Yamada (UK) 5-7, 6-3, 3-1, unfinished
6. Garrett Johns (DU) def. Kevin Huempfner (UK) 6-2, 6-4

 
Doubles

1. #6 Nick Stachowiak/Sean Sculley (DU) def. Gabriel Diallo/Millen Hurrion (UK) 7-6(2)
2. Spencer Furman/Luca Keist (DU) def. Kevin Huempfner/Alexandre LeBlanc (UK) 6-0
3. César Bourgois/Ying-Ze Chen (UK) def. Garrett Johns/Samuel Rubell (DU) 6-3

Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (6,4,3,2)