The rain couldn’t wait for the conclusion of Duke’s season-opener at the Kitty Harrison Invitational this weekend. On their last day of play, the Blue Devils gathered on the sidelines to cheer on transfer Eleana Yu as she battled out a close match-up against Old Dominion's Sophia Johnson.
Even after two court switches from the inclement weather, Yu was unstoppable. The Monarch was no match for her speed and aggression, as Johnson was ultimately overpowered in a 10-point tiebreak (7-5, 3-6, 1-0 (5)). Although the forecast was cloudy over Chewning Tennis Center, the Blue Devils started their season off on the right foot with strong results in both singles and doubles.
“It was good for us to get out and play some matches. We have some girls on our team that haven't really been in a competitive situation since May, so it was important that we got out and saw some outside competition,” head coach Jamie Ashworth said. “I thought we handled ourselves, for the most part, pretty well…I think we're doing things the right way and heading in the right direction.”
After a disappointing postseason run in the spring, the team came back to the courts with a few new faces. Yu, a recent transfer from Stanford, proved herself to be a valuable addition to the team, dominating the scoreboard with two singles and three doubles wins. The Blue Devil started the tournament Friday with a victory against Penn State’s Olivia Dorner (6-1, 4-6, 1-0 (8)).
Yu is fresh off two singles titles, winning both the ITA National Summer Championships and the ITA Summer Masters Series before the start of the season. The Mason, Ohio native has also proved herself to be a dependable doubles player, partnering with Emma Jackson to handily defeat the teams of Penn State (6-2) and Florida (6-4) this weekend.
Freshmen Ava Krug and Irina Balus made their debuts this weekend, delivering promising results in high-pressure situations. Krug pulled out a close win on Saturday against Purdue’s Kathryn Wilson (4-6, 6-1, 1-0 (7)), coming back after a shaky first set. The Sarasota, Fla., native followed this up with a dominant 6-1, 6-0 victory Sunday against Ulyana Romanova of Old Dominion. Fellow rookie Balus also performed well this weekend, earning a 6-2, 7-5 win against Penn State’s Jelena Vico on Friday. Despite some understandable nerves, both players were able to come home with wins they can build on in the coming months.
“What we're trying to do is prepare for the spring and get them in that situation where they have teammates playing on the sides of them, supporting each other,” Ashworth said.
Although not a newcomer, senior Ellie Coleman went undefeated in singles after sitting out last season with an injury. More determined than ever, Coleman powered through Old Dominion’s Victoria Matasova with relentless returns and consistency from the baseline (6-1, 6-0). The Midland, Mich., native won her previous matches this weekend in similar fashion, putting pressure on her opponents early to claim both in two sets. As a senior on a relatively young squad, Coleman has emerged as a leader and role model for her teammates.
“[Coleman] plays such an integral role on our team, both singles and doubles… It was great for her, for her own sake, to be back on the court playing,” Ashworth said. “She's put in a lot of time and we're going to have a successful year — she's going to be a huge part of that.”
The weekend, however, was not without losses for the Blue Devils. Junior Katie Codd suffered a 6-2, 6-1 defeat to Old Dominion's Lidiia Rasskouskaya Sunday, and she was visibly frustrated after several double faults and unforced errors.
“I think there was definitely a little bit of nerves, but nerves are good, so we definitely talk about that as well,” Ashworth said. “I think it was important that we got some matches and got a little bit of the rust and not playing out of the way and get ready for next week.”
Duke will stay in North Carolina next weekend for the ITA All-American Championship in Cary, a qualifier event for the NCAA Individual Championship at the end of November.
“I think we competed well — we got some good wins, a lot of matches,” Ashworth said. “Hopefully across the board, we can build on that as we start that tournament next week.”
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