RALEIGH -- Much like it rolled through the ACC regular season in flawless form, the men's tennis team began its ACC Tournament in the same manner, dispatching N.C. State, 4-0.
Playing on a scorching hot day a few minutes down I-40 at the Millbrook Exchange Tennis Center in Raleigh, the 14th-ranked and top-seeded Blue Devils (15-10, 9-0 in the ACC) used some hard hitting groundstrokes in both doubles and singles to outlast and outplay the Wolfpack (5-20, 0-8).
"We did pretty well," assistant coach Dave Hagymas said. "We played a couple real tough matches recently and then we gave [the team] a few days off, so this was really our first day in action in a while. The guys were playing well, and it was good to get the cobwebs off."
The Blue Devils began the day by winning the doubles point--taking two matches from N.C. State, only to have the third one stopped because the point had been decided.
Duke then took the court for singles, and jumped out to early leads in the bottom third of the ladder. At No. 5 singles, Yorke Allen went up 5-2 in the first set and 5-0 the second. In both sets he was able to cruise from there, winning 6-2, 6-3 over the Wolfpack's
Next to Allen, Alex Bose, who missed much of the season with a long illness he has finally overcome, also went up an early break. In the second set, Bose did not drop a game, and won the match, 6-3, 6-0.
"I thought I played pretty well," the junior from Bradenton, Fla., said. "I didn't get a chance to play as much during the year, so I felt pretty fresh."
It was the second time in as many matches that Bose has played six singles, and his added depth has been a welcome relief for freshman Peter Shults, who played most of the season in that slot. After playing doubles today, Shults said the rest was particularly nice today given the heat.
Lapidus would not say who would play in that slot Saturday when the Blue Devils take on the winner of the Georgia Tech/Florida State match.
After taking a 3-0 lead, Duke cruised until Phillip King was able to close out his match at the No. 1 singles slot. King had a few problems with N.C. State's Matt Lucas in the first set, trading breaks mid-first set before finally taking control. However, King hit his stride in the second set, going up 5-0. He went on to win his individual 6-3, 6-1, and the match for Duke, 4-0.
Michael Yani, Jason Zimmerman and Joel Spicher, playing at two, three and four respectively, did not finish playing because the outcome had been decided.
The Blue Devils now get to take today off before Saturday's match. Lapidus said that as nice as it was to be close to home, he did not want his team getting distracted by campus life.
"It has its positives and negatives," he said. "Its nice to have all the fans, but there's something to be said for being far away and focused. We'll probably stay in a hotel Friday and Saturday night-if we make it that far."
Before looking ahead to Sunday and a possible rematch of a 4-3 thriller a week ago with North Carolina, Duke must get past either Florida State or Georgia Tech, and regardless of whom the Blue Devils play, it should be tougher than the Wolfpack.
During the regular season, Duke beat the Seminoles 5-2, and edged the Yellow Jackets, 4-3.
"Georgia Tech beat [Florida State] in the regular season 4-3, so I would give them a slight edge." Lapidus said. "Hopefully it will be an eight-hour match and they'll both be exhausted."
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