As both Duke men’s and women’s tennis teams are hosting the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament, the Blue Zone previews the postseason matchups:
Women’s Tennis
Tennis is back on Friday evening, as the Blue Devils host William and Mary for the first round of the NCAA tournament after drawing the No. 6-overall seed. Should Duke win, it will face the winner between UCLA and Texas Tech Saturday at 5 p.m., also at Ambler Tennis Stadium. Waiting for the Blue Devils on the other side of the bracket is No. 11-seed Iowa State who Duke could face in the third round.
The Blue Devils will send their singles trio to the NCAA singles championship later this month, as No. 6 overall seed Chloe Beck, Emma Jackson and Georgia Drummy all secured bids. Beck, a senior, heads to the tournament for a second year in a row after going 29-4 this season and earning 13 wins against ranked opponents. Sophomore Emma Jackson, currently ranked No. 40 nationally, will make her debut at the singles tournament alongside graduate student Georgia Drummy. Drummy is 6-0 this season in ACC play and will compete for the second time in the championship after she advanced to the round of 16 in 2021. This is the 15th-straight year that Duke will have a competitor in the tournament.
The Blue Devils boasted an impressive regular season, going undefeated at home with 15 wins and only dropping three matches. However, Duke will have to face some old demons if it plans on competing deep into the NCAA team tournament. After an unexpected loss to Georgia Tech in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament and a semifinals loss to Oklahoma in the NCAA tournament last year, Duke will have to conquer some of its former losses in order to make a deep run.
-Anna Newberry
Men’s Tennis
Earning the No. 12-seed, Duke men’s tennis will host UNC Wilmington in the first round of this year’s NCAA tournament Saturday. With a victory, the team will play the winner of Auburn and Cornell in the round of 32 Sunday, also held at Ambler. Likely waiting for the Blue Devils in the third round will be a familiar foe — No. 5-seed Virginia — who just beat Duke to capture the ACC championship. In other past connections, the Blue Devils took care of Auburn 4-0 in January’s ITA Kickoff Weekend.
On the individual level, Duke will send senior Garrett Johns and freshman Pedro Rodenas to the NCAA singles championships, the first time the program has sent two to the singles tournament since 2015. Johns and Rodenas will also play together at the NCAA doubles championship. As a partnership, the two have a record of 20-5 and have won their last seven matches to finish ACC play.
Duke’s team success this year has been remarkable, but to make this season a memorable one, it must outperform expectations in a tough bracket. While the Blue Devils should outclass UNC Wilmington, Auburn and Cornell are no pushovers and an eventual date with Virginia will take everything from Duke in order to earn a quarterfinal bid.
To go on a run in this year’s tournament, one through six in the team’s singles lineup will need to continue to perform at a high level. Roedenas’ 10-match winning streak is impressive and Johns has competed well against the best, but the Blue Devils’ true strength lies with their depth. Look for Andrew Zhang, Connor Krug and Andrew Dale to fuel Duke in the postseason.
-Garrett Spooner
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