In a long season of ups and downs, Meible Chi has struggled to regain the form that propelled her to a semifinal finish in the fall ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships.
But with a strong opening in the NCAA individual tournament, the Blue Devil freshman is one step closer to recapturing some early-season glory.
No. 43 Chi and No. 55 senior Chalena Scholl competed in the first round of the NCAA singles championship at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga. Although Chi cruised past Alabama's No. 13 Erin Routliffe to secure a spot in the Round of 32, Scholl came up short against LSU’s No. 11 Jade Lewis in a three-set thriller to end her career.
“Meible did a good job getting off to a good start and controlling her emotions because I’m sure she was a little nervous being her first individual tournament,” Duke head coach Jamie Ashworth told GoDuke.com. “She played smart and very disciplined. She controlled her shot selection really well and never gave her opponent anything to feed off of. It was a great first match for her.”
Chi opened her individuals run as the underdog against Routliffe, but controlled the match from start to finish.
With the first set deadlocked at 2-2, Chi broke through to rattle off four straight games, breezing through the Crimson Tide’s top player 6-2. The Duke freshman remained relentless to the second set, taking a commanding 4-1 lead against Routliffe. Although the Alabama senior attempted a comeback, Chi cut it short to close the match 6-2, 6-3, securing a spot in the second day of the tournament.
“I was really happy to be out on the courts here again and happy with how I played,” Chi told GoDuke.com. “I’m really excited to play tomorrow.... Now is when people step up and I’m really ready for that.”
However, Chi will be the only Blue Devil playing tomorrow.
In a contest marred by bad weather and multiple rain delays, Scholl fought a back-and-forth battle against her top-15 opponent. Despite trailing 3-1 early in the first set, the Blue Devil senior fought back with three games of her own before Lewis rallied to take the set 6-4. Scholl responded in turn by winning the second set by a comfortable 6-2 ledger. In the deciding third set, the Tiger freshman broke a 2-2 tie to take a 5-3 lead. Scholl went on to secure one final game before falling 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
“It was a tough match to lose, and she played really well,” Ashworth said. “She did a great job coming back from losing the first set and did everything we could have asked. She has given so much of herself to our program, physically and emotionally over her four years.... I know she’s upset, but we are so proud of everything she has done during her time here and she needs to be proud as well.”
Chi will return to the court Thursday at 9 a.m., where she will take on South Carolina’s No. 47 Mia Horvit in the Round of 32.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.