CARY - With Stephen Amritraj's match-and the ACC Championship-on the line Sunday, all of Duke and Virginia's players formed a line on the adjacent court to watch the final set that would break the tie.
After senior Ludovic Walter had leveled the match at 3-3, crowds swarmed to watch the No. 6 singles match and see if Duke could complete an improbable comeback from a 3-0 deficit. During the final match, Amritraj attacked the net and played aggressively to give himself a match point, up 5-2 in the third set.
The senior struck a baseline shot to the opposite side of his opponent, Nick Meythaler, and charged the net. Meythaler, who was on the run, forced up a shot that landed wide of the sideline. As the ball dropped, Amritraj let go of his racquet and collapsed to the floor, with screaming teammates jumping all over him.
Amritraj's victory gave Duke (20-6) the 4-3 win and avenged the Blue Devils' April 16 loss to the Cavaliers (21-8).
"That's probably the most exciting win I've ever been a part of," assistant coach Ramsey Smith said. "The last few years, Virginia dominated the ACC and dominated us. It was great to see [our players] rise to the next level. That was our goal in September, to win the ACC tournament. It was awesome."
Earlier in the weekend, the top-seeded Blue Devils defeated No. 9 seed Virginia Tech (13-15) and No. 5 seed Florida State (17-11), 4-1 and 4-2, respectively, to advance to the title game.
In the pivotal match Sunday, Amritraj, up a set, had an array of break-point chances at 4-4 in the second, but he could not close out the match.
"I was just so unbelievably nervous and tight at that point, and I played some really bad points," Amritraj said.
In the third set, Amritraj went for his shots and played the best tennis of the match, Smith said.
Duke lost matches early in normally strong positions. In singles, freshman Kiril Dimitrov was defeated handily in straight sets. His teammate, sophomore Peter Rodrigues, entered the match with a remarkable 21-3 dual-match record, but he also fell easily in two sets, 6-1, 6-2.
"I thought things looked pretty bleak at that point," head coach Jay Lapidus said. "I can't recall a match when we were down 3-0 and came back."
With the Blue Devils one point away from defeat, No. 2 senior Jonathan Stokke, ranked 58th nationally, paved the way for a Duke comeback.
Stokke broke 45th-ranked Rylan Rizza to go up 6-5 in the first set. In frustration, Rizza smashed his racquet twice on the ground and received a game penalty, effectively giving Stokke the first set. The Blue Devil proved his victory was not a fluke and claimed the second set, 6-4.
"I served out of my mind, absolutely out of my mind," Stokke said. "It was windy, the courts were slow and normally, that wreaks havoc on my game. I won a lot of free points on my serve and it really helped other parts of my game."
Stokke received Most Valuable Player honors for his performance throughout the ACC Championships. He won all three of his singles matches.
Junior Joey Atas followed Stokke with some of the best tennis he has played all year, Smith said. Atas fought through some difficulty in the second and took the set and the match, 7-6 (4), 6-4.
"I was telling myself to put pressure on the guy and that's basically all I did-just play my game," Atas said.
His teammate Walter was in a baseline battle at 5-5 with Virginia's Somdev Devvarman, ranked 13th nationally. The 6th-ranked senior, however, was too experienced for Virginia's top-ranked player and stole the next two games to win the match. His victory tied the ACC finals, 3-3.
"It was funny to see how both handled [the set]," Smith said. "[Walter's] a senior, he's been in tight situations, and he's played tour events. His level went up a couple of notches."
Duke completed its comeback this year after failing in a similar situation in the 2005 regular season. When Amritraj played Virginia last year, the senior found himself in a third set-against Rizza at the time-with the team score at three apiece. Though Amritraj held a 3-2 lead in the set, he could not capture the fourth victory for the Blue Devils.
Soon after his loss against Virginia, Amritraj suffered a torn ACL, which prevented him from playing the remainder of Duke's season. The injury gave him time to think about the match.
"Everyday I was picturing that match against Rylan and thought about what I could've done differently," Amritraj said. "I just wanted that chance again really badly."
Amritraj got the job done in his final year at Duke and won, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-2. The win gave Lapidus his 11th ACC Championship in 14 years with the Blue Devils.
"It feels amazing," Amritraj said. "I feel really happy for the guys on our team."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.