The men's tennis team concluded its regular-season competition just like most movies end-predictably.
Duke trounced Clemson at home, 5-2, and edged Wake Forest on the road, 4-3, this weekend en route to wrapping up the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title and the top seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament with a conference record of 8-0 (17-5 overall).
On Saturday, the Tigers (10-14, 2-4 ACC) gave the 18th-ranked Blue Devils an early scare as they swept all three doubles spots to tally the first point, but Duke responded by picking up five of the six singles matches for the win.
"It was a bit of a wake-up call," sophomore Doug Root said. "Their doubles is really strong, but I think we were a little flat when we started out."
Alberto Brause clinched the victory with a straight-set win at No. 2 singles. The senior lost his first three games to Clemson's Josh Goffi but then came back to take a 7-6 first-set win, and pummeled Goffi in a 6-0 second set.
After struggling for the past several matches, junior Jordan Wile regained his old form and recorded the Blue Devils' first individual win, defeating Joey Hopke, 6-1, 6-2, at the No. 5 spot.
"I'd been struggling the last two weeks big time, and today I turned it around a little," Wile said. "I've been working on a lot of movement with Coach, just getting back to hitting a lot of balls instead of worrying about results... playing every point one point at a time."
Wile's match was the only one that was played outdoors from start to finish. The two teams waited out one brief rain delay, but when it started raining again, they relocated the remainder of the match from the Duke Tennis Stadium to Chapel Hill's Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.
"I felt pretty comfortable; I think I picked it up a level each time I went out," Root, who won a 6-4, 6-1 decision at No. 1 singles, said of the rain delays. "The first one definitely gave me a chance to pick it up. I came out a little more excited to start off really quick."
Sunday's victory over Wake (14-10, 4-4 ACC) did not come as easily, however. The Blue Devils had to play amidst the taunts of a noisy, hostile crowd; an environment that coach Jay Lapidus said may have played a part in Duke's doubles losses.
With the match tied at three points apiece, the Blue Devils' fate rested on Dmitry Muzyka. Muzyka lost a tight 7-6 first set to Raul Munoz and floundered early in the second set. But when the junior realized that the outcome of the match depended on him, he stepped up his game and pulled out a 7-5 second-set win.
Munoz wouldn't give up, though, fighting to a 3-2 lead in the third set. At this point, Muzyka took charge, holding Munoz to only one more game. The 6-4 third-set victory gave the Blue Devils the match, and sole possession of the top spot in the ACC.
"The star of the match was Dmitry Muzyka," Lapidus said. "He was down a break twice in the second set, but when he realized it was three-all, he picked his game up a notch. He went down a break, 3-2, in the third set, but he came back and won the match. He came through for us....
"Dmitry's win Sunday was a huge confidence booster. He played at a really high level and showed he still has the moxie to pull out the big matches."
Freshman Ramsey Smith broke his streak of 15 consecutive singles wins, dropping a 6-3, 6-4 decision to Johan Hansen at No. 4 singles.
Freshman Andres Pedroso replaced classmate Marko Cerenko at No. 6. The switch proved beneficial for the Blue Devils, as Pedroso netted a crucial 6-4, 6-2 win over Lars Kabiersch.
"Andres has worked hard, and he's going to be a big part of our future," Lapidus said. "It's always a close call who should play. We have to give everyone their due."
Duke next travels to Atlanta for the ACC Tournament, which will take place from April 24-26.
"The ACC Tournament's our goal," Wile said. "We'll be ready on Friday."
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