It took until the final singles match for the outcome to finally be decided Saturday afternoon, but UNC freshman Benjamin Sigouin clinched a 4-3 victory for the eighth-ranked UNC men’s tennis team in Durham over the No. 12 Duke Blue Devils.

Sigouin needed three sets (6-4, 4-6, 6-2) to knock off Duke’s Spencer Furman, but once it was all said and done the Tar Heels were back in the win column following a loss to Texas last week.

Doubles competition saw UNC’s top tandem–William Blumberg and Robert Kelly–rally from down 3-5 to win their set 7-5. This gave the Tar Heels the all-important opening point on the scoreboard.

Duke (10-6, 1-1 ACC) responded by winning the first two singles matches in straight sets–including an upset victory from Nicolas Alvarez over Blumberg.

However, UNC wasn’t about to go down easy.

Wins from Blaine Boyden (6-2, 6-2) and Mac Kiger (6-3, 2-6, 6-3) helped the Tar Heels pull back ahead for a moment until the Blue Devils again tied things up with a victory from Catalin Mateas on Court 3.

With the match tied at 3-3 and all eyes watching Sigouin and Furman, the UNC freshman came up big in the clutch–clinching the victory with his performance.

Up Next:

Another rivalry match awaits the Tar Heels, as they’ll face NC State in Raleigh on Wednesday, March 14. That match is scheduled to start at 3 p.m.

 

 

Photo via UNC Athletics

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