Newport Beach Dukes End Trip by Falling to the Stars

The Newport Beach Dukes won only one set and lost to the New Jersey Stars, 26-16, Sunday in a Team Tennis match at Florham Park, N.J.

The Dukes (5-2) took a lead in the first set of the match, when Amy Frazier and Sophie Amiach defeated Billie Jean King and Linda Harvey-Wild, 6-2, in women’s doubles.

The Stars (2-5) rallied first behind Harvey-Wild, who defeated Frazier, 6-5 (5-3 in the tiebreaker). Frazier had not lost a set in six previous singles matches. John Sullivan and Shane Barr then beat Marty Davis and Roger Smith, 6-3, in men’s doubles to tie the score at 14-14.

It was the only loss of the Dukes’ five-match Eastern trip, but Coach Greg Patton was disappointed it didn’t end more successfully. “We can’t afford to lose to the weaker teams,” Patton said. “That team was 1-5, but they caught us at the right time.”