Yesterday, the men's tennis team did what it has done unfailingly since 1996; heac coach Jay Lapidus' squad beat an ACC opponent. This time, the win was a convincing 6-1 victory over conference cellar dwellers Maryland, Duke's 50th consecutive regular season ACC victory.
It was also the first ACC match of the year for the Blue Devils, as Duke handed Maryland its seventh conference loss. The loss sent the Terps to 0-4 in the conference this season.
"I know we've done well in conference play in recent years," Lapidus said. "But I didn't know [that today's win was the 50th] until after the matches."
The Blue Devils earned the win by shuffling their lineup, putting freshman Ludovic Walter at the No. 1 spot,
"Ludo played well," Lapidus said. "He stepped up after I decided to move him for this match."
The No. 2 Blue Devil, Jonathan Stokke, won the bookends of a three-set match, 7-5 and 6-3. Stokke lost the middle set 1-6. He and his doubles partner, sophomore Peter Shults, logged an 8-4 victory over the second Terp doubles pair.
Shults, in a solo performance, soundly beat Maryland's Troy Demers 6-3, 6-1.
"Peter Shults was impressive today," Lapidus said. "He played well and was in a more prominent match than he'd been used to. I put some of these guys in a tough position because they weren't accustomed to these matches."
Ryan Heinberg won a hard-fought two-set match over Rory Theis; both sets were nailbiters, 7-5 and 7-6. Freshman Christopher Brown likewise won a close contest, 7-6, 7-5.
The only Duke loss of the day came as Stefan Rozycki, playing in the last singles slot, fell 6-3, 6-2 to the Terrapins' Scott Peters. Rozycki and Brown teamed up to win a tight doubles match 8-6.
"We wanted to respect our opponents," Lapidus said. "In recent years, Maryland hasn't been as competitive with us, so it was important to approach the matches seriously. I think we responded well."
Duke next faces a tougher squad in 28th-ranked Wake Forest tomorrow.
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