Root, Smith Advance To Quarterfinals In NCAA Doubles; Earn All-America Honors

ATHENS, Ga. (May 26) - The Duke tandem of Doug Root (Mendham, N.J.) and Ramsey Smith (Hilton Head, S.C.) have earned All-America status after advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA doubles championship on Friday. The duo, ranked fifth nationally, defeated 21st-ranked Rob Cheyne/Andy Scorteanu of Fresno State.

After dropping the first set, 4-6, Root/Smith won 6-1 in the second. Duke then went up 3-1 in the third, but Fresno State tied it at 4-4. The Blue Devils went on to win 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 to advance to Saturday's quarterfinals. They next face Marco Baron and Charles Sevigny of Mississippi State, who also won in three sets Friday over a seeded team from LSU.

The All-America honor is Root's second, as he earned the honor along with doubles partner Jordan Wile in 1997. It is the first All-America honor for Smith, who is the son of former Wimbledon and U.S. Open Champion Stan Smith.

Also on Friday, junior Andres Pedroso fell in the NCAA singles championship round of 16 to Carlos Drada of Kentucky, 6-2, 6-3. Pedroso also earned All-America status with his performance in the singles bracket, winning his first and second round matches.

This is the second time in school history that three Blue Devils have earned All-America status in the same season. In 1995, Peter Ayers, Rob Chess and Chris Pressley all achieved the honor. Root is also just the third player in Duke history to be named All-America at least twice.