The women's tennis team continued play on Wednesday at the week-long Riviera All-American tournament in Pacific Palisades, Calif., with the doubles team of senior Amanda Johnson and freshman Tory Zawaki winning two matches in the qualifying event to advance to the main draw.
Johnson and Zawaki, the only Blue Devil duo remaining in the doubles, defeated No. 25 Heather Saluri and Anda Perianu of Oklahoma 8-4 in the morning and downed Illinois' 31st-ranked tandem of Jennifer McGaffigan and Cynthia Goulet 8-2 later on.
"They hit the ball really well today," Duke head coach Jamie Ashworth said. "They returned well in both matches, and hopefully their confidence will carry over [to the main draw]."
The team will look to extend its three-match winning streak Thursday afternoon when it faces top-ranked Lauren Barnikow and Erin Burdette of Stanford.
"Barnikow and Burdette are a tough team," Ashworth said. "They've been playing together for three years at Stanford and have probably played 100 matches together. Tory and Amanda have played three matches, but they're confident so we'll see what happens.
Johnson, who received an automatic entry into the main draw of the singles event, will also play her first singles match this morning against 23rd-ranked Julie Smekodub of Tulane.
The eighth-seeded Bettendorf, Iowa native has had solid results at the All-American event in the past.
"Amanda has played well here before, and I don't see that changing anytime soon," Ashworth said. "She's been hitting the ball well in doubles, and I think that has given her confidence."
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