When the doubles quarterfinals of the ITA All-American Championships in Austin came around for the men's tennis team this weekend, the last thing on anyone's mind were the losses to the Southern Collegiate tournament champions two weeks ago.
For the second time in a fortnight, however, the second-seeded duo of Doug Root and Jordan Wile lost in three sets to Harvard's James Blake and Kunj Majm, the eventual tournament champions.
Although it was a disappointing loss, Coach Jay Lapidus was pleased with his players' performances, especially considering the high caliber of the tournament where every player was in the top-50 level.
"The All-American is probably one of the toughest tournaments in the fall," Lapidus said. "I was hopeful they'd get further, but with doubles, anything can happen on any given day."
Duke was no luckier in the singles draw. Root, Duke's only singles player, picked up one win against Toby Hanson of SMU in the first round of consolation before losing to Olaf Akesson of South Carolina in the next round.
There seems to be no relief in the near future for the Blue Devils, who travel to the South Carolina Invitational next weekend. While the competition is not quite as stiff as the All-American's, this tournament features 14 of the top 100 players in the country.
"Next weekend, the South Carolina tournament is quite strong," said Lapidus. "It's more of a regional tournament, more on par with the Southern Collegiates."
Those prospects must be trying for the Blue Devils, who hope to end the trend of losing to the eventual champions.
Lapidus said he will give Root and Wile the weekend off after their strong showing and will instead bring the other six players who did not play this weekend.
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