GAINESVILLE, Fla. - No. 10 Stanford made quick work of No. 16 Duke on Saturday afternoon in Gainesville, collecting its second shutout of the season.
The Cardinal (7-0) locked up the doubles point and produced three convincing singles victories for its second neutral-site win of the season.
Stanford has successfully navigated through a challenging nonconference schedule, which has featured all seven opponents ranked No. 54 or higher.
Duke (4-5) was the third top-20 club Stanford has defeated this season. The Cardinal improved to 9-1 all-time against the Blue Devils, although this was the first meeting since a 4-0 Stanford win on May 19, 2006 during the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.
After taking a 1-0 lead following the doubles point, Stanford moved in front 2-0 thanks to an impressive 6-0, 6-1 triumph from Krista Hardebeck over Alyssa Smith at the No. 4 spot.
Carol Zhao made it 3-0 with her 17th overall victory of the season, a 6-3, 6-4 win over Ester Goldfeld at the No. 1 position.
The clincher came from Caroline Doyle, who cruised past Rachel Kahan 6-0, 6-2 on court three.
Stanford awaits its biggest challenge yet, facing No. 2 Florida on Sunday, Feb. 22, at 9 a.m. PT. The Cardinal and Gators have combined to win the last four of the last five NCAA championships, but even the regular-season matches have been edge-of-your-seat thrillers. Over the last five years, the powerhouses have hooked up seven times, with Stanford collecting five victories, including a 7-0 shutout at Taube Family Tennis Stadium last February.
No. 10 Stanford 4, No. 16 Duke 0
DOUBLES
1) No. 5 Davidson/Zhao (STAN) d. Goldfeld/Smith (DUKE) 8-6
2) No. 12 Doyle/Tsay (STAN) d. Capra/Kahan (DUKE) 8-5
3) Hardebeck/Kostas (STAN) vs. Harris/Mulholland (DUKE) abandoned
Order of Finish: 1, 2
SINGLESS
1) No. 10 Carol Zhao (STAN) d. No. 38 Ester Goldfeld (DUKE) 6-3, 6-4
2) No. 14 Taylor Davidson (STAN) vs. No. 115 Samantha Harris (DUKE) abandoned
3) No. 16 Caroline Doyle (STAN) vs. No. 94 Rachel Kahan (DUKE) 6-0, 6-2
4) No. 92 Krista Hardebeck (STAN) d. Alyssa Smith (DUKE) 6-0, 6-1
5) Ellen Tsay (STAN) vs. Rebecca Smaller (DUKE) abandoned
6) Lindsey Kostas (STAN) vs. Annie Mulholland (DUKE) abandoned
Order of Finish: 4, 1, 3