TEAMTENNIS : Dukes’ Victory Roll Results in Their First Playoff Berth

The Newport Beach Dukes defeated the Vail Eagles, 30-21, for their franchise-record seventh consecutive victory Tuesday night at the John Wayne Tennis Club.

Along with their victory, the Dukes took over a share of World TeamTennis’ West Division lead, gave themselves the tie-breaking advantage, and assured themselves their first playoff berth in their three-year history.

“This team can win the whole thing,” Dukes Coach Greg Patton said. “ Martina (Navratilova of the 11-1 East Division champion Atlanta Thunder) better watch out. But Coach Patton had better watch out, because we have to take one step at a time.”

If Newport Beach (8-3) and Vail (8-3) finish the regular season tied, the Dukes would be awarded the division championship and receive a bye in the first round of the playoffs on the basis of more games won in head-to-head competition. Vail defeated the Dukes, 27-24, July 14 in Colorado.

The Dukes assured themselves of a playoff berth by taking a 4 1/2 match lead over the idle fourth-place Los Angeles Strings, who have four matches remaining.

The Dukes took control of Tuesday’s match after the fifth game of the first set. Trailing Sandy Collins and Lori McNeil, 3-2, Lise Gregory and Amy Frazier won the next four games of the set.

Frazier increased the Dukes’ lead to 12-8 with a 6-5 (5-3) victory over McNeil.

Men’s doubles is supposed to be Vail’s strength, with Newport Beach resident Scott Davis and David Pate forming the world’s top-ranked team in 1991. That year, they won the Australian Open and were the U.S. Open runners-up. But as they did in Vail, Rikard Bergh and Ronnie Bathman came out on top, 6-2.

Bergh then staged three comebacks in a 6-5 (5-4) victory over Davis. Bergh was broken in the second game and trailed, 3-0. After exchanging breaks in the fourth and fifth games, Davis held in the seventh for a 5-2 lead.

Bergh then held in the eighth, broke in the ninth and held serve in the 10th, forcing a tiebreaker.

Davis took 3-0 and 4-1 leads. Bergh then forced the tiebreaker to its limit by winning the next three points. Serving at 4-4, Bergh took the set when Davis’ backhand service return was wide.

“Rikard is starting to think he’s a singles player,” Patton said. “When he was down, 3-1, the whole bench kept saying, ‘Play like you play doubles. Step into the ball. Don’t stand back. Take it to him. When he throws a punch, throw it back.’ And that’s what he did.”

Bergh was far more subdued than Patton.

“I was pretty lucky,” Bergh said. “After I was down, I thought (losing) 6-2 would be good so we’d be up by (four) games going into the mixed doubles. He played really well and I just came up with the good shots when it counted.”

Vail got its only victory when Pate and Collins defeated Bathman and Gregory, 6-5 (5-4), forcing the match into overtime. The Dukes closed out the match when Collins, who was serving, volleyed a shot into the net at game-point.