The University of Louisville men’s tennis team has advanced to the NCAA Doubles Championship Quarterfinals for the second consecutive year. The #8 ranked duo of Etienne Donnet and Natan Rodrigues defeated #22 Freddy Blaydes and Niels Ratiu of Georgia in the Round of 16 on Wednesday afternoon.
The match started off challenging for the Cardinals, as they found themselves down 4-2 against the Bulldogs. However, Donnet and Rodrigues rallied, tying the score at 4-4 and again at 5-5 after breaking their opponents’ serve. Despite their efforts, they narrowly lost the first set 7-5.
Showing resilience, Donnet and Rodrigues dominated the second set, winning the first five games. They allowed only one game before securing the set 6-1, forcing a decisive third set.
In the NCAA Round of 16, the third set is decided by a single 10-point tiebreaker. The Cardinals duo quickly established a commanding lead and closed out the match with a 10-4 victory.
Next, UofL faces the top-ranked doubles team in the country, Duke’s Garret Johns and Pedro Rodenas, on Thursday. The match time is yet to be determined.
The pairs previously faced each other in ACC play on March 29, where the Blue Devils triumphed in a close 7-5 match. At that time, Donnet and Rodrigues were ranked ninth while Johns and Rodenas were sixth in the country.
With their eyes set on advancing further, Donnet and Rodrigues aim to leverage their experience and recent form against the formidable Duke duo.
