April 21, 2003

RALEIGH, N.C. - The fourth-seeded and 25th-ranked Wake Forest men's tennis team took top-seeded and ninth-ranked Duke to the wire in doubles play before surrendering the doubles point and then collapsing 4-0 after three singles matches Saturday afternoon in the semifinals of the ACC Championship at the Millbrook Exchange Tennis Center.

The doubles point was easily the most exciting point of the match. Wake Forest jumped out quickly to win at the No. 3 position as David Loewenthal and Andrew Simpson defeated Duke's 48th-ranked team of Jonathan Stokke and Peter Shults, 8-5. The other two doubles matches would come down to the wire.

At the No. 1 slot, Duke's fourth-ranked tandem of Michael Yani and Phillip King battled back from two match points for the Demon Deacons' Brett Ross and Derrick Spice to win a 9-8 tiebreaker. It all came down to the second position with the Blue Devil duo of 41st-ranked Jason Zimmerman and Ludovic Walter vs. Wake Forest's Mike Murray and Trent Brendon. The Wake Forest team ended up taking a 7-6 lead and had five match points before the Blue Devils battled back and won a 9-8 tiebreaker.

Loewenthal, Spice and Brendon each lost in straight sets during singles play and Duke advanced to Sunday's Championship match. Wake Forest falls to 13-8 overall on the season and awaits a bid to the NCAA Tournament, which begins May 9.

#9 Duke 4, #25 Wake Forest 0

Singles
1. #30 Phillip King (DU) d. #49 David Loewenthal (WFU) 6-3, 6-1
2. #34 Michael Yani (DU) d. Derrick Spice (WFU) 6-4, 6-4
3. #60 Ludovic Walter (DU) vs. David Bere (WFU) DNF
4. Jason Zimmerman (DU) d. Trent Brendon (WFU) 6-3, 6-1
5. Jonathan Stokke (DU) vs. Mike Murray (WFU) DNF
6. Peter Shults (DU) vs. Brett Ross (WFU) DNF

Doubles
1. #4 Yani/King (DU) d. Ross/Spice (WFU) 9-8
2. #41 Zimmerman/Walter (DU) d. Murray/Brendon (WFU) 9-8
3. Loewenthal/Simpson (WFU) d. #48 Stokke/Shults (DU)