Newport Beach Dukes’ Future Looks Bright

The Newport Beach Dukes made their debut Tuesday at the John Wayne Tennis Club where:

--A light rain fell, a dubious beginning if ever there was one.

--Marty Davis, the Dukes’ most experienced player, was seen chomping potato chips while watching the women’s doubles set.

--A crowd of about 1,200 was entertained by Roger Smith’s 6-5 victory over Mike Briggs in the men’s singles set.

--The Dukes defeated an alumni team from UC Irvine in an exhibition, 30-16.

The Dukes begin the regular season against the Raleigh Edge at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the John Wayne Tennis Club.

It’s difficult to base much on Tuesday’s exhibition, but the Dukes appear to have a strong lineup.

There remains much to be determined, however. Who plays with whom, for instance.

Coach Greg Patton decided on Tuesday’s lineup on a whim. Now, he has something to go by for Thursday’s opener.

He is, to say the least, impressed with his team.

“All the chapters are in the book,” Patton said. “It’s going to be a great novel.”

Translation: The Dukes have depth, talent, strong singles and doubles. And they could be one of the league’s top teams.

The women--Sophie Amiach and Amy Frazier--overpowered Karin Behring and Colleen Patton, 6-0, to begin the match.

Frazier then beat Mary Beth Young, granted honorary alumni status by virtue of her work this week at the UCI tennis camp, 6-4. Young is a two-time All-American from Brigham Young.

The Smith-Briggs set was the highlight of the match, going to a tiebreaker after it was tied, 5-5. (Team Tennis scoring differs greatly from standard tour scoring).

Smith won the nine-point (another difference) tiebreaker, 5-1.

That match tested Patton’s allegiance.

“It’s just like I adopted some children, but on the other side of the river are all my other children,” he said. “I felt like running over and cheering for Mike Briggs.”

The Dukes’ victory marked Team Tennis’ return to Orange County after a seven-year absence.

Two previous teams folded after disappointing results on the court and at the box office. The Anaheim Oranges folded in 1978 and the California Oranges in 1983.