Without dropping a set in the entire tournament, Duke sophomore Ludovic Walter captured the Adidas Tennis Classic Sunday with a dominating 6-1, 6-3 win over Notre Dame's Matt Scott.
"The final match was awesome," Walter said. "My serve worked really well. I didn't lose serve once. My forehand was really good too. Right now I am working on being aggressive, taking the ball early and coming in more, it works better for me. I was really aggressive in the final."
Walter had faced Scott in last year's indoor season where the two played a much tighter match. Walter said that the biggest difference between the two contests was his aggressive play. He also noted that Scott did not play poorly in the final match, but also didn't have the weapons to hurt Walter.
In the semifinals, Walter took out TCU's Jacopo Tezza 6-0, 6-3. Tezza was hampered especially early from stiffness that resulted from a difficult three-set match the previous day with Duke sophomore Stephen Amritraj. When Tezza finally loosened up, the quality of play improved and the two consistently engaged in long rallies. Again, Walter credits his serve with helping him pull out a competitive second set.
Walter came into the tournament a little tired from playing the previous weekend, but his game improved as the tournament progressed.
"He is playing really, really well," Duke head coach Jay Lapidus said.
"He has come a long way from even last year. He is definitely establishing himself as one of the best college players and it is good to see his development."
Several other Blue Devils also had strong showings over the weekend.
Sophomore Jonathan Stokke lost in a third-set tiebreaker to eventual finalist Scott. The score, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), was indicative of the close play throughout the match.
Amritraj also lost in a three-set quarterfinal match. Tezza came through in the third set to advance 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.
"I think [Stokke and Amritraj] are making good progress," Lapidus said. "They are getting very close to the point where they are going to break through in a big way."
The Blue Devils' doubles play was equally impressive over the weekend. The tandem of Stokke and Peter Rodrigues advanced to the finals and Chris Brown and Ryan Heinberg were poised for a semifinal matchup when the doubles competition was suspended.
A result of rain earlier in the week, the doubles draw was behind schedule and the tournament directors decided to terminate the event before the championship could be finished.
"We didn't lose a doubles match all weekend," Lapidus said. "Our doubles are looking really good."
Lapidus was especially complimentary of the excellent early play of freshman Rodrigues.
"Peter is really a great addition to our team in singles and doubles and he and [Stokke] seem to team up well together."
Next up for the Blue Devils is the ITA All-American Tournament, where Walter and other top Duke players will get a chance to match up against some of the best competition in the country.
Senior Phillip King, who skipped the Adidas Classic due to a minor wrist injury, is questionable for the All-American, which gets underway October 9.
For Walter, Sunday's win should give him a strong boost going into one of the most important events of the season.
"I got some confidence back because I was injured part of the summer," Walter said. " I am 8-1 so far this year. We will see how it goes against ranked opponents. I am more fit compared to last year."
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