It may be just a short drive down 15-501 to Chapel Hill, but today’s trip to UNC will mark an important homecoming for junior Jonathan Stokke and the men’s tennis team.
No. 5 Duke hopes to spoil North Carolina’s home finale in an ACC matchup at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center Wednesday. Stokke, Duke’s No. 2 singles player, is from Chapel Hill but said that diminishes rather than builds the hostility.
“It actually almost takes away from the rivalry,” Stokke said. “I love both of their coaches and I used to hit with them and a lot of the players.”
If the Blue Devils (16-3, 6-1 in the ACC) perform like they have all season, the Tar Heels (14-7, 4-4) will be no match for them. Duke’s only losses have come against top-five opponents Baylor, Virginia and Illinois.
Duke has dominated North Carolina lately, winning the last eight regular-season meetings. The Tar Heels, however, still hold the series advantage 73-28, and Stokke’s hometown foes will be revved up to beat the Blue Devils.
“This is the matchup they circle on their calendars,” Stokke said. “They usually play their best match every year against us.”
The doubles point will be crucial Wednesday, as the Tar Heels are 1-7 when losing in doubles. This bodes well for Duke, which boasts two doubles pairs that have jumped into the national top 50. The pair of junior Ludovic Walter and senior Jason Zimmermann is currently ranked No. 43, and Stokke and sophomore Peter Rodrigues hold the No. 48 spot.
The top singles matchup will feature Duke’s Walter, ranked third nationally, trying to prevent back-to-back ACC individual losses for the first time in his career. With a win, Walter will move into a tie for eighth-place all-time for singles victories at Duke. At his current pace, the junior will likely break the all-time Blue Devil record of 119 individual wins.
North Carolina junior Raian Luchici, who is coming off back-to-back losses, will be trying to pull off the upset. Luchici has moved up from the No. 4 spot last year to the Tar Heels’ top singles position this season.
With Duke’s loss to No. 3 Virginia Friday, the Cavaliers have nearly clinched the ACC regular-season crown. The Blue Devils currently lead the race for second place by one game with home matchups against Wake Forest and Virginia Tech following the North Carolina matchup. Duke must win one of the next three games to guarantee a bye in the first round of the ACC Championships.
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