The men's tennis team concluded its indoor season this weekend at the National Individual Indoor Championships in Dallas, Tx. Competing for the Blue Devils was the doubles team of Sven Koehler and Dmitry Muzyka and the duo consisting of Jordan Wile and Doug Root. Root also qualified for the singles tournament.
The fourth-ranked team of Koehler and Muzyka first saw action as they faced sixth-ranked Kansas. The Duke duo pulled through this match with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 win. They continued to proceed through the draw, first defeating a tandem from Illinois (6-4, 1-6, 6-3) and following up with defeats against two Stanford teams.
"They came out playing extremely well and they showed a lot of poise," assistant coach Dave Hagymas. "It seemed to me that they were prepared for their next rounds."
The pair did indeed come out playing well, but unfortunately was stopped in the finals. The Koehler/Muzyka team lost a bit of its stamina in a close 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 match against the seventh-ranked doubles team from UCLA.
Duke's 17th-ranked doubles team of Doug Root and Jordan Wile did not advance as far. The duo won it's first match against a strong third-ranked team from Arkansas. This upset, however, was not enough to propel it any further.
"Root and Wile had nothing to lose and they proved a lot to us," Hagymas said. "They're a good team and now we know that they can play against teams of high caliber."
Freshman Doug Root also competed in singles action, but did not come out with much initial success. Losing in the main draw, 6-1, 6-3, against 17th-ranked Paul Goldstein of Stanford, Root quickly changed his frame of mind, as he proceeded to win every match in the consolation bracket. He first came out with a win against 44th-ranked Jamie Gordon of Purdue and then defeated players from both Boise State and Notre Dame.
"I guess I started out a little bit nervous," 47th-ranked Root said. "I got better towards the end and I played well in my later matches."
Dmitry Muzyka, who was questionable about suiting up in the singles tournament, did not end up playing. Muzyka was injured during the qualifying meet and was first alternate for the additional slots in the field of 32. Fortunately, he had previously qualified for the doubles tournament.
"It is a shame that [Muzyka] was not allowed to compete," Hagymas said. "But we're looking forward to much of his play in upcoming tournaments."
The National Indoor Tournament was not official team competition, as only those qualifying are invited to play. Official team competition begins this Wednesday as the Blue Devils host Furman at 2:30 pm on the Duke Tennis Courts.
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