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Duke Claims 11th ACC Championship With 4-1 Victory Over Clemson
4/20/2003 1:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 20, 2003
RALEIGH, N.C. - After losing the doubles point, the ninth-ranked Duke men's tennis team charged back to win four straight singles matches and claimed its 11th overall ACC Championship on Sunday with a 4-1 victory over 27th-ranked Clemson at the Millbrook Exchange Tennis Center in Raleigh, N.C.
Duke's ACC Championship marks the fifth title in the last six years. The Blue Devils improve to 20-5 overall and will next await NCAA Tournament action, which will take place May 9-11.
Clemson came out rolling early on taking the doubles point with victories at No. 1 and No. 3. The Tigers received an 8-6 decision at the top position as the duo of 44th-ranked Nathan Thompson and Jarmaine Jenkins upset Duke's fourth-ranked Phillip King and Michael Yani. Then, Clemson received an 8-4 victory at No. 3 with Sander Koning and Brett Twente knocking off 48th-ranked Jonathan Stokke and Mike Murray.
"I wasn't really upset after the doubles play," said Duke Head Coach Jay Lapidas. "I told the guys we played ok and we have to get out there in singles and show a lot of heart. We did going out winning five of the first six sets and that was big for us. Once we got up five sets we started feeling pretty good about things. I think we showed a lot of heart out there today."
The singles play was much different as Duke jumped out to win the first set in four different matches to take the momentum away from the Tigers. The Blue Devils went on to earn victories at No. 2, No. 4 and No. 6 to give Duke a 3-1 advantage. Duke's 34th-ranked Yani pulled out a 7-6 tiebreaking win in the first set and then cruised to a 6-0 victory in the second to knock off 71st-ranked Koning at No. 2. Jason Zimmerman and Peter Shults each also cruised to wins at No. 4 and No. 6, respectively. Zimmerman defeated John Boetsch (6-4, 6-1) and Shults knocked off Ash Misquith (6-2, 6-2).
The clinching match came on the third court as Duke freshman Ludovic Walter battled for a 7-5, 6-2 decision over Jenkins. Walter now boasts a 10-0 mark in dual singles action against ACC opponents. Yani, a senior from Boca Raton, Fla., earned MVP honors for the weekend going 3-0 in singles action.
"This match was very stressful," said Lapidas. "It is nice to come back and bring this title back home this year."
Duke 4, Clemson 1Singles 1. #30 Phillip King (DU) vs. #90 Nathan Thompson (CU) DNF 2. #34 Michael Yani (DU) d. #71 Sander Koning (CU) 7-6, 6-0 3. #60 Ludovic Walter (DU) d. Jarmaine Jenkins (CU) 7-5, 6-2 4. Jason Zimmerman (DU) d. John Boetsch (CU) 6-4, 6-1 5. Jonathan Stokke (DU) vs. Damiisa Robinson (CU) DNF 6. Peter Shults (DU) d. Ash Misquith (CU) 6-2, 6-2
Doubles 1. #44 N.Thompson/Jenkins (CU) d. #4 Yani/King (DU) 8-6 2. #41 Zimmerman/Walter (DU) vs. Robinson/Boetsch (CU) DNF 3. Koning/B.Twente (CU) d. #48 Stokke/Shults (DU) 8-4
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