TEAMTENNIS : Dukes’ Weakness Is a Strength in Victory

Men’s singles, which had been the Newport Beach Dukes’ weak point, was their strong suit in a 26-21 World TeamTennis victory over the New Jersey Stars Wednesday night.

The Dukes, who entered the match with the worst men’s singles winning percentage in the 11-team league, got a 6-0 victory from Rikard Bergh to win their third consecutive match.

“We’ve been reborn,” Dukes Coach Greg Patton said. “Ever since the Phoenix match, (a 29-13 victory Saturday) we’ve been rising from the ashes.”

The Dukes are 4-3 at the halfway point of the 14-match season, a match ahead of the Los Angeles Strings in the race for the third and final playoff berth in the Western Division. The Dukes are a half-match behind second-place Sacramento.

Bergh proved to be the key to Wednesday’s victory. After teaming with Ronnie Bathman for a 6-5 (5-3) victory over Matt Lucena and Larry Stefanki in the match’s first set, Bergh won the first five singles games from Lucena. Stefanki, New Jersey’s player-coach, then took over for Lucena, but Bergh closed out the set.

“One thing that works so well for us is that when Rikard plays his doubles before his singles, he plays a good singles match,” Patton said. “Winning that tiebreaker in men’s doubles was important for us.”

The Dukes took an 18-8 lead at the intermission when Lise Gregory and Amy Frazier defeated Ann Grossman and Rennae Stubbs, 6-3.

Stubbs and Stefanki beat Bathman and Gregory, 6-2 in mixed doubles. Under TeamTennis rules, that forced the match into overtime. The Stars (4-4) won the next game, before the Dukes closed out the match by winning the second.

After today’s travel day, the Dukes resume action Friday against the Sacramento Capitals, whose roster includes Fountain Valley’s Debbie Graham, at the John Wayne Tennis Club.