On the heels of its first conference loss of the season against No. 1 Virginia Sunday, Duke looks to bounce back Wednesday against Wake Forest in Winston-Salem. Despite the defeat, the Blue Devils (11-6, 4-1 in the ACC) could take away a lot of positive things, especially their win at the No. 1 singles spot, from such a tough match against the best team in the nation.
“[Virginia is] a great team and they showed it there,” head coach Ramsey Smith said. “There were certain situations that we didn’t handle as well as we could have.”
Duke will look to build on that experience as the No. 24 Demon Deacons provide a tough road test. Wake Forest (11-5, 5-1) is riding a four-match winning streak and enjoys a half-game lead over the Blue Devils in the conference standings.
Though they have proven to be solid throughout most spots on the ladder, the Demon Deacons lack an imposing presence at No. 1 singles. Tripper Carleton and Steven Forman have split time in the top slot, and neither has had great success.
If Duke freshman Henrique Cunha continues his recent run of fantastic tennis, however, it might not matter much who Wake Forest throws at him. In his third victory over a top-five opponent this season, Cunha downed third-ranked Michael Shabaz of the Cavaliers 6-3, 6-3 Sunday.
“I can’t say enough about Henrique,” Smith said. “He fought through a little bit of an injury last week, and he is just getting better with every match. He is the rock on our team right now. It’s fun to watch him play when he is like that. He just handles himself well, competes and just does everything right. He has picked up some big wins, and I am real happy for him.”
Wednesday’s match will likely be decided in the middle of the singles ladder, where Duke struggled Sunday. Aside from an impressive win by sophomore Luke Marchese, the Blue Devils failed to win a match from numbers two through five.
Reid Carleton, who will likely play No. 2 singles this afternoon, is in for a particularly fierce battle. The Demon Deacons have accumulated an imposing 15-1 record in that slot which has been filled by either Carleton or Forman, depending on which one is not in the No. 1 spot.
If Duke takes the lessons it learned Sunday into Wednesday’s match, however, it will be well-prepared for a stiff challenge.
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