Dukes Come Through Again, Win Third Consecutive Match : TeamTennis: Final men’s doubles set gives Newport Beach a 26-22 victory over Miami.
NEWPORT BEACH — The Newport Beach Dukes won their third consecutive TeamTennis match Tuesday night, and the silence was deafening at the John Wayne Tennis Club.
A sellout crowd, now revised to 2,650 by team management, jammed the club to watch Jimmy Connors perform for the L.A. Strings Saturday night. The best the Miami Breakers could offer was Greg Holmes, once ranked as high as No. 22 in the world.
Holmes wasn’t enough for the fans or the Breakers, and the Dukes defeated Miami, 26-22, before a crowd of about 500.
Like Saturday’s victory over the Strings, a tight match came down to the final men’s doubles set. Once again, Rick Leach and Tim Pawsat won and so did the Dukes, who improved to 5-5. Miami (3-7) closed an early Dukes’ lead to 20-19 following Holmes’ 6-5 (5-4) victory over Leach in men’s singles.
One break in the doubles was all the Dukes needed to win, though.
With Holmes serving at game point (there is no ad in TeamTennis), Leach hit a backhand return past Matt Anger for a 5-3 lead. Pawsat held at love and the Dukes won, 6-3.
“Rick Leach brings out the best in everybody,†Dukes Coach Greg Patton said. “It’s like Demi Moore makes Bruce Willis look like a handsome, sensitive guy.â€
Then Patton really got rolling.
“We’re hanging in there by our teeth. It’s a good thing I have braces on my teeth.â€
And this . . .
“That backhand return by Leach was the sweetest song I’ve heard in a month. It was the nicest sound I’ve heard since my baby (Chelsea) cried when she was born.â€
The victory kept the Dukes on track for a playoff berth, though they need to win their final four matches and hope Wichita (5-6) falls further behind.
“Any loss is going to be brutal for us,†Patton said.
The Dukes play their final home match against the Sacramento Capitals at 7 tonight. The team ends the regular season with matches at San Antonio Thursday, at Atlanta Saturday and at Charlotte Sunday.
In other sets: Manon Bollegraf and Elise Burgin of the Dukes defeated Beverly Bowes and Sandy Collins, 6-5 (5-3) in women’s doubles; Bollegraf defeated Bowest, 6-2, in women’s singles; and Anger and Collins defeated Burgin and Pawsat, 6-3, in mixed doubles.
Go beyond the scoreboard
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