The women's tennis team closed out its fall season with an encouraging but ultimately unsuccessful run at a Grand Slam title by senior All-American Amanda Johnson. But the real encouragement for both the Blue Devils' spring season and for the years to come should come from a freshman whose win at the Arizona State University Thunderbird Invitational bodes well for Duke's future.
After a strong showing all weekend, Johnson fell in the semifinals of the ITA National Indoor Collegiate Championships Saturday in Ann Arbor, Mich. Johnson was beaten by 40th-ranked Anda Perianu of Oklahoma, 7-6, 4-6, 6-1.
"It was the furthest she's gotten in a Grand Slam tournament, which is huge, confidence-wise," head coach Jamie Ashworth said. "On the other hand, she had a chance to win a Grand Slam event, and those aren't chances you get very often, even if you're the No. 1 player in the country."
The loss in the semifinals not only kept Johnson from playing for a Grand Slam title, but it prevented her from reaching an important career milestone until the spring season. She now has 99 career wins, and will have to wait to join the other 14 Duke players to have career victories in the triple digits.
"Ninety-nine wins just shows consistency," Ashworth said. "When you're playing maybe 30 matches a year, you have to win consistently to get there; your game cannot have any downward spirals."
Johnson and doubles partner Tory Zawacki also fell in the semifinals, to Jackie Carleton and Lauren Fisher. The Duke senior-freshman duo was outdone 8-2 by the UCLA tandem.
"We went out to win it," Zawacki said. "It was hard for Amanda [to play singles and doubles. Her endurance] inspired me."
While the senior was trying to capture a prestigious national title in Michigan, a freshman was racking up wins in Arizona. Jennifer Zika won the singles title at the Thunderbird Invitational Sunday. The Austria native is now 10-4 on the season. She earned her first collegiate win after her opponent, 99th-ranked Jody Scheldt retired due to injury in the second set after Zika had taken the opening set and the second set's first game.
Zika's path to victory included Scheldt, Shawna Zuccarini of Purdue and teammate Julia Smith. Both of her wins prior to the finals were three-set battles, with Zika downing Zuccarini 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 and then Smith 6-3, 2-6, 6-0.
"She's played well," Ashworth said. "She's lost some leads in the past, and she was down a set in the quarterfinals. It was good to see her break through to get some wins."
The next time the Blue Devils compete will be January 24th against Baylor, when Johnson will pursue win 100 and Zika will try to keep up the winning ways she showcased in Arizona.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.