A mere 300 feet from Duke University’s Cameron Indoor Stadium, across from the quad where Krzyzewskiville forms every winter, lies the lesser-known Ambler Tennis Stadium.
This afternoon, Ambler, not Cameron, will be the site of the newest UNC-Duke rivalry match when the No. 19 North Carolina men’s tennis team takes on the No. 20 Blue Devils at 3 p.m.
For North Carolina seniors Clay Donato and Andrew Crone, it will be the last regular-season opportunity to take down the Blue Devils.
“It’s going to be exciting to get in there and play one of our rivals,” Crone said. “They’re having a good season, and so are we, so this time is special for us.”
UNC currently sits in third place in the ACC with a 6-2 conference record. Duke is second, one game ahead of the Tar Heels with a conference record of 7-1.
That means a win against Duke today would jump North Carolina over the Blue Devils and into second place in the conference based on the head-to-head matchup.
UNC coach Sam Paul said it was important for the team to look at the Duke match the same as any other despite the teams’ rivalry.
“We’ll control the things that we can control, not so much looking at them and playing them specifically,” Paul said. “We’re going to do the things that we do well and bring it. It’s Duke, but it’s still just another ACC match.”
Donato, as he has all season, will lead the Tar Heels’ effort against Duke and will have a daunting task ahead of him.
He will likely be matched up against Henrique Cunha in singles, who is currently ranked No. 11 in the country and has won against each of the nation’s top four players this season.
In doubles, Donato will face another uphill battle along with partner Stefan Hardy. Donato and Hardy are ranked No. 17 overall but will be facing the No. 3 doubles pairing in Cunha and Reid Carleton.
The Tar Heels suffered a 5-2 loss to the Blue Devils last season in which four of the current UNC starters participated.
Of the four, only Donato won a singles match, defeating Carleton on the top singles court. The other three — Crone, Brennan Boyajian and Zach Hunter — all fell in their singles contests.
Crone also lost in doubles, but Boyajian and Hunter, playing together on the third court, did win their doubles match, as did Donato and partner Taylor Fogleman on court one.
Crone said the team is focused only on today’s match and will be ready to go this afternoon.
“To beat Duke, we have to try to get some rest and go in fresh,” Crone said. “We need to get ready mentally so everyone can stay on top of everything.”
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
Men's tennis seniors get last shot at Duke
NC’s Clay Donato lost in his last home match on Sunday, but the senior will try to rebound against Duke today. DTH/Ben Pierce
