May 16, 2004

In a battle that lasted four hours and 29 minutes, 33rd-ranked Clemson rallied from a 3-1 deficit to defeat fifth-seeded and sixth-ranked Duke, 4-3, in the second round of the 2004 NCAA Men's Tennis Tournament on Sunday afternoon at the Ambler Tennis Stadium in Durham, N.C.

The Tigers improve to 24-11 on the year and advance to the Round of 16 where they will meet Texas Christian, a 4-2 upset winner over 12th-seeded Kentucky, on Saturday in Tulsa, Okla.

Duke claimed the doubles point with wins at the numbers two and three positions, but Clemson struck first in singles action as Ryan Young defeated Christopher Brown, 6-0, 6-2, at the number six flight.

Ludovic Walter, ranked 28th nationally in singles, then put the Blue Devils back on top with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Goran Sterijovski at number two, and Jason Zimmermann extended the lead to 3-1 with a straight set win over Jarmaine Jenkins at number four.

Clemson then began its comeback with Damiisa Robinson's 6-4, 7-6 triumph over Jonathan Stokke at number five. The match then found itself knotted at 3-3 when Duke's Peter Rodrigues, leading by a 5-4 count in the third set, was forced to retire due to leg cramps. The decisive point then rested at the top singles position, where Nathan Thompson overcame a one-set deficit to outlast fifth-ranked Phillip King, 4-6, 7-6, 7-5, and give the Tigers their first NCAA Tournament win over Duke in five tries.

The Blue Devils finish the season at 20-8.

#33 Clemson 4, #6 Duke 3
SINGLES
1. #96 Nathan Thompson (Clemson) def. #5 Phillip King, 4-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5
2. #28 Ludovic Walter (Duke) def. Goran Sterijovski, 6-2, 6-4
3. Jason Zimmermann (Duke) def. Jarmaine Jenkins, 6-2. 6-2
4. John Boetsch (Clemson) def. Peter Rodrigues, 4-6, 7-5, 4-5, ret.
5. Damiisa Robinson (Clemson) def. Jonathan Stokke, 6-4, 7-6 (5)
6. Ryan Young (Clemson) def. Christopher Brown, 6-0, 6-2
Order of finish: 6, 3, 2, 5, 4, 1

DOUBLES
1. #50 Phillip King & Jonathan Stokke (Duke) vs. #37 Jarmain Jenkins & Nathan Thompson, DNF
2. Stephen Amritraj & Jason Zimmermann (Duke) def. John Boetsch & Damiisa Robinson, 8-4
3. Peter Rodrigues & Ludovic Walter (Duke) def. Brad Twente & Ryan Young, 8-5
Order of finish: 2, 3