In one of the premier tournaments of the fall season, Duke proved it is one of the most dangerous squads in the country.
Sophomore Chris Mengel and junior Henrique Cunha led the charge, winning the doubles bracket and meeting up in the singles final at the ITA-Carolinas Regional this past week in Chapel Hill.
“[The team] had a disappointing ITA-All American tournament,” head coach Ramsey Smith said. “On the first day of practice this week, we sat down and stressed the importance of finishing the fall season strong.”
Mengel took the message to heart, winning the biggest tournament of his Duke career. Entering the tournament as the No. 3 seed, he breezed to the semifinals without losing a set. Then, facing senior teammate Torsten Wiestoka, the two battled for three sets before Mengel prevailed 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.
On the other side of the singles bracket, No. 1 seed Cunha moved quickly to the quarterfinals before facing No. 9 seed Danny Kreyman of Wake Forest, where he showcased his extensive match experience to recover from a first-set defeat 4-6, 6-4, 6-1. Cunha’s match against Mengel in the final was cut short when the junior retired after losing the first set 7-6(8), battling shoulder issues.
“[Cunha] is batting a shoulder injury, but I don’t foreshadow it being anything serious,” Smith said. “The medical staff will provide treatment and he should be able to play in [the ITA National Indoor championships Nov. 3-6].”
In doubles, Cunha and Mengel found their first success as a doubles team, capturing their first tournament title together. The two joined up after Cunha’s former partner Reid Carleton graduated last spring. After defeating the No. 2 seeded pairing of Brennan Boyajian and Joey Burkhardt of North Carolina 9-8(6) in the finals, the two appear to be gaining traction.
“After getting a few wins under their belt early in the tournament, they began to play their best tennis of the season,” Smith said.
Still, the performances of Mengel and Cunha were not the only strong showings from the Blue Devils. In singles competition, sophomore Fred Saba and senior Torsten Weistoka joined Cunha and Mengel in the quarterfinals. The duo of senior David Holland and freshman Jason Tahir also made a run to the quarterfinals.
“We couldn’t have finished any better,” Smith said. “This week is going to give us a lot of confidence and momentum going forward.”
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