DURHAM, NC – No. 21 Harvard men's tennis nearly pulled off the upset over No. 12 Duke today, ultimately falling in its season opener, 3-4.

"What a great college tennis match to start the season," said Andrew Rueb '95, the Scott Mead '77 Head Coach for Harvard Men's Tennis, "I'm really proud of how our team competed and supported one another throughout the contest.  Our doubles was sharp right from the start and got us on the board early on.  And in singles, we fought up and down the lineup and pushed them to the brink."

The Crimson started its day off strong, going up 1-0 following doubles wins at the No. 1 and 2 positions.  Masato Perera and Benjamin Privara struck first, downing Pedro Rodenas and Theo Winegar (Duke), 6-4.  Then, both seeing their first action of the 2024-25 season, David Lins and Daniel Milavsky posted the same result against Andreja Petrovic and Cooper Williams (Duke). 

The Blue Devils gained some footing in singles, securing five out of six opening sets.  Despite Duke gaining some momentum, the Crimson continued to battle against the No. 12 nationally ranked Blue Devils.  After Harvard fell at the No. 6 position, it shot back into the lead with a straight set, 6-3, 7-6 (6), win from Valdemar Pape. 

Harvard bounced back, forcing third sets in each of the remaining four matches.  The Blue Devils were able to close out victories at the No. 2 and 3 positions, pulling within a point of the victory.  Senior captain, Milavksy, however, gave Harvard an extra spark and tied the match by defeating the No. 47 nationally ranked player, Williams, 2-6, 7-6 (8), 6-2.  "Big congrats to Danny for saving six match points to get the win at the top spot," said Rueb, "Danny has put in the hard work and it is really paying off."

While Perera forced a third set and held a slight lead in the stanza, the Blue Devils were able to steal the final match of the day and defeat the Crimson, 3-4. 

Results

Harvard – 3, Duke – 4
Doubles

1. Masato Perera/Benjamin Privara (Harvard) def. Pedro Rodenas/Theo Winegar (Duke), 6-4
2. David Lins/Daniel Milavsky (Harvard) def. Andreja Petrovic/Cooper Williams (Duke), 6-4
3. Melchior Delloye/Valdemar Pape (Harvard) vs. Connor Krug/Teddy Truwit (Duke), 5-5 DNF

Order of finish: 1, 2

Singles

1. Daniel Milavsky (Harvard) def. No. 47 Cooper Williams (Duke), 2-6, 7-6 (8), 6-2
2. No. 38 Pedro Rodenas (Duke) def. Benjamin Privara (Harvard), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
3. Andreja Petrovic (Duke) def. Rohan Murali (Harvard), 6-2, 4-6, 6-2
4. Valdemar Pape (Harvard) def. Gerard Planelles (Duke), 6-3, 7-6 (6)
5. Connor Krug (Duke) def. Masato Perera (Harvard), 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
6. Remy Dugardin (Duke) def. Mitchell Lee (Harvard), 6-4, 6-4

Order of finish: 6, 4, 2, 3, 1, 5

Next Up

The Crimson will return to action for a midweek battle at No. 22 NC State on Tuesday, January 21 at 5:00 p.m. ET in Raleigh, NC.