For nine consecutive seasons, the men's tennis team has advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. This year, the Blue Devils (22-5) eased by High Point and conference foe Wake Forest with a pair of easy 4-0 victories last week.
Duke, ranked ninth nationally, is slated to take on No. 8 Mississippi Saturday morning, May 17 in Athens, Ga.
The road to the Peach State was relatively easy. In an intrastate matchup, the Blue Devils made quick work of outmatched High Point (14-3) in the opening round.
Duke boasts two of the nation's best players in Phillip King and Michael Yani, and the two picked up a total of three victories on the day. Individually, the two are ranked No. 25 and No. 35, respectively. As a duo, the tandem is third in America.
"I thought High Point was a good team," thirteen-year head coach Jay Lapidus said after the match. "They played good doubles and were stronger than I thought they would be. I thought we played pretty well. It was very, very hot out there today and considering the conditions I thought the kids played well."
Still, this was the farthest any High Point tennis team had ever advanced, having qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time. As such, Lapidus was elated with the way his team kicked off postseason play.
Against No. 28 Wake Forest, senior Michael Yani made the most of his finale at Duke's Ambler Tennis Stadium. His 6-3, 6-4 victory over Derrick Spice at second singles clinched the Blue Devils' win and its place in the Sweet 16.
But perhaps more importantly, Lapidus' squad came out and dominated the Demon Deacons in doubles, scoring wins at the No. 1 and No. 3 courts to claim the first point of the match.
"I thought we played really well in doubles today," Lapidus said. "If we could get the doubles point under our belts, I felt pretty confident that we could win three of the six singles matches. Our doubles are getting better and better."
Indeed, if the Blue Devils want to get past Mississippi, doubles will be crucial as no one court will be a lock for Duke. But against Wake Forest, even Wake Forest knew what to expect: an easy Duke win.
"Their tradition has been that they expect to win," Wake Forest head coach Jeff Zinn said. "That's a trademark of a very, very good team. Tennis is all mental, and the mental toughness factor of Duke is phenomenal."
Individually, Phillip King and Michael Yani will represent the Blue Devils in the NCAA championships, also being held in Georgia.
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