Men's Tennis Opens Season With Familiar Foe

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – The UNCW men's tennis team kicks off the season this weekend with a familiar foe - the Duke Blue Devils.

The Seahawks take on the Blue Devils on Sunday, Jan. 31, at the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center in a 2 pm. match.

UNCW returns to Durham for the second straight year. The Blue Devils defeated the Seahawks, 6-1, on Jan. 18, 2020. Davide Innocenti picked up the Seahawks' lone point by defeating #117^th-ranked Andrew Zhang, 4-6, 6-3, 13-11, in a marathon match at No. 5 singles.

The Seahawks return six players from last season's 4-7 club, including senior Daniel Groom and junior Bruno Caula, who are 27^th in the Oracle Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division I Men's Tennis Team Rankings. The tandem stands 11-4 in doubles over the last two seasons.

Coach Mait DuBois is going into his 14th season with high expectations for the team.

"We are returning five exceptional lineup players and are really excited about our five-member freshman class," said DuBois. "We always expect to be in a position to bring home the CAA Championship and we know we can be a force with the top national teams."

DuBois, who is nearing his 200^th career victory with the Seahawks, believes in the progress that his experienced players have made, even in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"All of our returners have made strides since last spring. Everyone was in a different position based on where they were and what their country allowed. Across the board, our guys did a great job of continuing to make strides."

According to DuBois, Innocenti, a junior from Florence, Italy, has emerged as an impact player. "Davide has showed the most progress, beating a number of players with ATP rankings."

Duke opened the 2020-21 season with losses to No. 20 South Carolina (4-1) and Northwestern (4-0) in the ITA Kickoff Weekend event in Chapel Hill. The Blue Devils entertain Campbell on Friday (Jan. 29) before playing the Seahawks.

The Seahawks stand 0-2 against the Blue Devils, falling 4-0 in the 2013 NCAA Regionals in Durham (May 11, 2013) and last January.

Following the match with Duke, the Seahawks return to the UNCW courts to face North Florida on Saturday, Feb. 12, at 1 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Bruno Caula: 6' 2"; Junior

Daniel Groom: 5' 9"; Senior

Davide Innocenti: 6' 1"; Junior

Players Mentioned

Bruno Caula
: 6' 2"; Junior

Daniel Groom
: 5' 9"; Senior

Davide Innocenti
: 6' 1"; Junior

UNC Wilmington Athletics

Scoreboard

Events/Results

Men's Tennis Opens Season With Familiar Foe

Players Mentioned

Bruno Caula

Daniel Groom

Davide Innocenti

Players Mentioned

Bruno Caula

Daniel Groom

Davide Innocenti