May 24, 2000

ATHENS, Ga. ---- Two Duke men's tennis players advanced in the NCAA singles championship with first-round victories on Wednesday. Duke junior Andres Pedroso (Coral Gables, Fla.), ranked 48th nationally, advanced to the second round with a come-from-behind, three-set victory over 100th-ranked Rodrigo Echagaray of Kansas. After dropping the first set 6-0, Pedroso took the second set, 7-5, then held on 6-3 in the third for the win. He will face eighth-seeded Marco Baron of Mississippi State in the second round on Thursday.

Another Duke junior, Ramsey Smith (Hilton Head, S.C.), ranked 34th nationally, had an easier time in his first-round match, winning 6-3, 6-3 over No. 45 Matt Wright of Michigan. On Thursday, Smith takes on second-seeded Brian Vahaly of Virginia, the 2000 ACC Player of the Year, in second-round action.

Duke senior Doug Root (Mendham, N.J.) lost his first-round match to seeded player K.J. Hippensteel of Stanford, 7-6, 7-6. It marked Root's fourth straight appearance in the NCAA singles championship. Also on Thursday, Duke's No. 1 doubles tandem of Root and Smith, ranked fifth nationally, will face the 30th-ranked Matt Amgwerd and Nic Dubey of New Mexico.