Duke is never an easy place to play, but the Illinois men’s tennis team did not let a hostile crowd derail its focus on its way to victory in Durham, N.C.

The No. 3 Illini (3-0) beat Duke, the nation’s No. 9 team, 6-1. Despite the score, the Blue Devils made the match tough for the Illini with several matches that could have gone either way.

“Duke really had a fantastic crowd and made it tough for us to get a win on the road,” said Illinois head coach Brad Dancer. “It was a great environment for college tennis and I am really proud of the way our guys competed tonight.”

Sophomores Kevin Anderson and Ryan Rowe clinched the doubles point when they beat Jonathan Stokke and Stephen Armitraj 8-4.

Rowe said securing an early lead was crucial to Illinois’ ability to fend off Duke.

“The singles matches were pretty tough, and winning the doubles point allowed us to get pretty calm and focus,” Rowe said.

After winning the doubles point, the Illini went on to win the next three singles matches. Senior Pramod Dabir sealed the win for the Illini with a victory over Kiril Dimitrov 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.

“It was a good win for us, especially with National Indoors coming up,” Dabir said. “It was a good confidence booster. They are great indoor competitors.”

The team could see Duke again this month at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Team Indoor Championships in Seattle.

“It was great to get used to being on the road and having fans against you,” Dabir said. “It really made us focus on the things that we needed to take care of to get the win there.”

Although Illinois clinched the match early, intense competition ensued throughout Friday evening.

Anderson, an All-American who is tied at the nation’s No. 37 spot, upended Jonathan Stokke 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (5). Stokke, the 20th-ranked tennis player in the country, has also played in the main draw of the U.S. Open doubles tournament with former Illini Rajeev Ram.

“I’m very proud of the resilience that we showed,” Dancer said. “It was a great response to the adversity.”

Junior GD Jones put a dramatic finish on the evening for the Illini when he knocked off two-time All-American Ludovic Walter 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4. Walter is the No. 9 tennis player in the country. Jones is currently unranked.

“It was a really long match,” Jones said. “Walter served really well and played really well.”

Illinois returns home this weekend to take on three top-50 teams. The Illini play against No. 26 Notre Dame on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Atkins Tennis Center.

On Saturday, the team will face a fierce day of competition when it competes in a doubleheader against No. 27 Clemson and No. 41 Harvard. Illinois plays Clemson first at 10 a.m., before following that with a night match against Harvard at 7.

“We just have to continue to improve our form and keep playing well,” Jones said.