Eight days ago, Duke effectively lost its No. 1 ranking and first round bye in the ACC Championship when Clemson upset the Blue Devils. Friday, Duke got its revenge.
The Blue Devils routed the Tigers 4-0 as they advanced to the semifinals and avenged last Thursday’s loss. In the ACC Championship quarterfinals at Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C., Duke flipped last week’s script and its scrappy play displayed why it was the top-ranked team in the nation just a week ago.
Although the final score may indicate the fifth-seeded Blue Devils (23-3) had their way against fourth-seeded Clemson (21-6) from the opening match, Duke was forced to play from behind from the opening point in the majority of its matches Friday.
The No. 12 Tigers held the lead in the beginning of all three doubles matches as well as four of the six singles matches. But the sixth-ranked Blue Devils did not let Clemson get too comfortable with any of the leads, as Duke set the tone early with a dominating performance from its top doubles team.
The No. 5 pair of Beatrice Capra and Hanna Mar battled back from a 3-2 hole to win three straight games and take the 8-4 victory against the Tigers’ Yana Koroleva and Romy Koelzer. The win was their seventh-straight.
Duke's third-best doubles team was also dominant, as junior Annie Mulholland and freshman Chalena Scholl dispatched Clemson's Jessy Rompies and Joana Eidukonyte 8-3 after splitting the first four games.
In singles play, No. 26 Ester Goldfeld, No. 35 Mar and Scholl all defeated top-125 players to secure the victory for the Blue Devils.
Friday’s victory will give Duke a matchup with top seed North Carolina Saturday at 10 a.m. The Blue Devils have had the Tar Heels' number all season, winning 5-2 at home and 4-2 in ITA National Team Indoors.
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