ITA National Indoor Championships Begin Thursday

DURHAM, N.C. - The 2009 ITA National Indoor Championships will start on Thursday at the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center in West Haven, Conn. with Duke's doubles team of Reid Carleton and Henrique Cunha to play at 10 a.m.

The Duke pair will face Mike Bennett and Alberto Gonzalez of Auburn-Montgomery in the first round of the round of 16 draw. The two Blue Devils cruised through the Wilson/ITA Carolina Regionals with five wins, including four with an 8-4 final. They defeated Iain Atkinson and Steven Forman of Wake Forest, 8-4, in the regional final. In the semifinal, Carleton and Cunha defeated No. 29 Clay Donato and Stefan Hardy of North Carolina, 8-5.

This season Carleton and Cunha have a 14-2 overall record in doubles with three wins over ranked opponents. They are on an eight-match winning streak that includes a regional championship and backdraw title at the ITA All-American Championships where they beat No. 10 Austen Childs and Simon Childs of Louisville.

The winner of Thursday's first round match advances to play Friday morning at 9 a.m. The tournament is being hosted by Yale University.