TEAMTENNIS : Dukes Lose, but Keep Division Lead

Even with a loss, the Newport Beach Dukes moved closer Friday night to becoming the first Orange County professional sports team to win a division title since the 1986 Angels.

Despite losing, 29-18, to the Los Angeles Strings before a capacity crowd of 2,650 at the John Wayne Tennis Club, the Dukes still control their own destiny, thanks to unexpected losses by their closest competition.

The Dukes (8-4) remain a half-match ahead of the Vail Eagles and Sacramento Capitals, who are tied for second with 8-5 records. Vail and Sacramento both lost Friday.

The defeat ended the Dukes franchise-record winning streak at seven matches.

“There was no pressure on the Strings,” Dukes Coach Greg Patton said. “They were swinging from the hips. You could tell that from the very start.”

The Dukes got off to a fast start in the match’s opening set, women’s doubles, but were not able to sustain it. Amy Frazier and Lise Gregory won three of the first four games, before Carrie Cunningham and Mary Lou Daniels regrouped for a 6-5 (5-2) victory.

Frazier took a 3-1 lead over Cunningham in the women’s singles, before losing four of the next five games. Cunningham then held serve in the 10th game and won the tiebreaker, 5-2.

“I felt our girls did very well, considering how well L.A. did,” Patton said.

The Strings, 5-7 and winners of two consecutive matches following a six-match losing streak, took control in men’s doubles.

After Rikard Bergh held serve in the opening game, Jimmy Connors and John Lloyd reeled off the next five games, breaking Bergh and Ronnie Bathman once each. Bathman held serve in the seventh game before Lloyd held in the eighth, closing out the set with an ace for a 6-2 victory.

“The Swedes, God bless them, tried too hard,” Patton said.

Connors then increased the Strings’ lead to 23-13 with a 6-1 victory over Bergh.

“Connors is like Freddy Krueger,” Patton said, referring to the villain from the “Nightmare on Elm Street” horror films. “He was a nightmare. He was playing, joking around and distracting. For him, it’s a lot of fun. For us, we’re trying to get first place in the league.”

Connors, who was swarmed by autographs seekers as his left the court after the match, was quite complimentary about the crowd.

“It was a good crowd,” Connors said. “They have a good time. It’s what tennis is all about. Unfortunately, everybody doesn’t realize that.”

Lloyd and Daniels concluded the match with a 6-5 (5-3) victory over Bathman and Frazier.

The schedule gives the Dukes a break; they conclude the regular season against the West’s two worst teams, Phoenix (4-9) and Wichita (2-11), today and Sunday, respectively.

The Dukes defeated the Smash, 29-16, July 18 and the Advantage, 30-16, July 25.