After a long summer of training and ball drills, the Blue Devils are back in action this weekend in full force, with two tournaments on the docket on opposite sides of the country.
The majority of the Duke team will host the Duke Bonk Invitational this weekend at the Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C., with matches slated Friday through Sunday. The invitational is named after Dr. James Bonk, a popular former Duke chemistry professor and assistant tennis coach who passed away in 2013. Meanwhile, sophomore Nicolas Alvarez, ranked No. 7 in the nation, will travel to Malibu, Calif., this weekend to compete against the 16 best collegiate singles players in the country.
The tournament in Cary will provide a good opening to the fall season for the team, as the Blue Devils are finally healthy and ready to play after injuries plagued the squad this summer.
“Obviously we have a lot of new guys—six new players, over half our team is new," Duke head coach Ramsey Smith said. "It has been a good start and I am anxious to get out there and see how the guys perform.”
The freshman class includes Ryan Dickerson, a five-star recruit who helped Duke finish with the nation's No. 2 recruiting class. The Marlton, N.J., native is ranked No. 34 in the preseason doubles rankings alongside Alvarez and will help a Blue Devil squad that has been hampered by injuries start the season off on a high note.
The Duke women will also make the short trip to Cary, where a pair of highly touted freshmen will make their Blue Devil debuts. Ellyse Hamlin and Kaitlyn McCarthy appear in the list of the ITA's top 10 freshmen, and Hamlin will also team with senior Beatrice Capra on the doubles court as the No. 39 tandem in the country.
The weekend tournament will be a chance for the Blue Devil men to evaluate where they stand after the offseason brought a lot of turnover. Duke lost a very successful senior class to graduation, with the No. 2, 3, 4 and 5 singles players on the ladder departing. The Duke Bonk Tournament will provide a glimpse of the new-look roster.
“The neat thing about [the tournament] in Cary is that we have a different couple of draws,” Smith said. “Everyone is guaranteed four singles matches and three doubles matches. We are going to implement a lot of the things we have been working on.”
Smith said that seniors Daniel McCall and Josh Levine and junior T.J. Pura have stepped up as leaders in the absence of Bruno Semenzato, Raphael Hemmeler and Chris Mengel, preparing all summer for the increased responsibility that comes with their seniority and familiarity with the program.
Alvarez is competing with the best of the nation this weekend, and Smith said he has successfully blocked out the pressure put on him by his success as a freshman. Alvarez was the first All-American for Duke since Henrique Cunha in 2012. He is only the fourth Duke freshman ever to receive the accolade.
“Nico is really mature for his age and he is still in the process of getting better,” Smith said. “He obviously had a heck of a freshman year, and the results showed that.”
The Lima, Peru, native posted a 31-11 singles record last year, with all 11 losses coming against nationally ranked opponents. After struggling with injuries this summer, Alvarez is ready to start the fall slate off with a successful trip out to California.
“He is finally ready to go so he hasn’t played as many matches as he or we as coaches would have liked,” Smith said. “[Malibu] will be a great test and Nico is very honored to be there.”
Smith will travel with Alvarez to Malibu while assistant coaches Jason Tahir—who graduated in May—and Jonathan Stokke stay with the rest of the Blue Devils in Cary.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.