Dukes Vying for TeamTennis Division Lead

First place in World TeamTennis’ West Division will be at stake when the Newport Beach Dukes play host to the Vail Eagles at 7 tonight at the John Wayne Tennis Club.

The Dukes (7-3), winners of six consecutive matches, trail the Eagles (8-2) by one match. Vail defeated the Dukes, 27-24, July 14 in Colorado.

Vail is led by Scott Davis, a Newport Beach resident, and David Pate. They were the top men’s doubles team in 1991, winning the Australian Open and reaching the U.S. Open finals. Davis and Pate also are leading TeamTennis’ men’s doubles standings, but were defeated by the Dukes’ Ronnie Bathman and Rikard Bergh, 6-4, in their previous meeting.

The Eagles will also have the services of Lori McNeil tonight. McNeil missed the first Dukes-Vail match because of her commitment to the Federation Cup. She is TeamTennis’ third-ranked women’s singles player, trailing Sacramento’s Patty Fendick and Atlanta’s Martina Navratilova.