Duke’s women tennis dove head first into ACC conference play on the road, securing two big wins against Boston College and Syracuse. Winning in doubles against both teams and earning early wins in singles, the Blue Devils dominated this weekend with scores of 4-0 against the Eagles and 4-1 against the Orange.
Friday vs. Boston College
The Blue Devils (8-2, 2-0 in the ACC) are no stranger to the Eagles, as Friday’s match secured their 21st win against Boston College in program history. In true Duke fashion, the team won 2-of-3 doubles matches to earn the doubles point. Senior Ellie Coleman and freshman Irina Balus clinched a 6-3 victory, while senior Emma Jackson and sophomore Eleana Yu commanded an early 6-2 win, which proved critical towards the team’s momentum in singles.
“I thought we did a good job of continuing some of the success we've had in doubles, because we had struggled with that early in the year,” Coach Ashworth said about the weekend.
As the match shifted towards singles, the Blue Devils easily clinched their victory in straight sets among all key matches. Jackson cruised to an easy first match win, tallying a score of 6-2, 6-0, while freshman Ava Krug also proved victorious 6-4, 6-2 in her ACC singles debut, ensuring a second singles win. Yu, a Stanford transfer, also made an impressive ACC debut, clinching Duke’s third and final match 6-4, 6-4.
Sunday vs. Syracuse
Although the Blue Devils were able to bring a victory back to Durham, the change in atmosphere proved difficult, who battled all the way until the end. Duke was able to take the doubles point, but not without a challenge. The No.11-ranked doubles team, featuring Coleman and Balus, fell in their match against Syracuse’s Nelly Knezkova and Miyuka Kimoto 6-3.
Furthermore, in a shocking 7-5, 6-3 match, Balus fell short again to Kimoto on the No. 1 singles court. Kimoto’s running forehand and backhand, as well as her experience as a senior on the court, were key to her victory.
“Everybody in the country has a good No. 1 player, and so I think that you have to go in with the expectations of, ‘I'm going to be in for a battle today,’” Ashworth said.
Although Syracuse won three of the first six singles matches — picking up wins on courts No. 3 and No. 5 — Jackson and Coleman were able to deliver wins in straight sets, with Coleman delivering a match-clinching win for Duke 6-4,6-4. Additionally, Krug achieved a commanding win in No. 6 singles, winning both sets 6-3, solidifying the Blue Devils' victory.
“I thought [Krug] did a great job coming in and playing those two matches and winning both,” Ashworth said.
Krug was not the only freshman who displayed her prowess against the Orange. In No. 2 singles, freshman Liv Hovde won her first set against Knezkova 6-4, and her doubles match with Jackson. Although she lost the second set in her singles match, which went unfinished like her match Friday, Hovde is proving to be a key asset to the team despite not having played earlier this season.
“She adds a lot of personality and a lot of depth to our team.” Ashworth said about the Daniel Island, S.C., native.
With its standout performance to open conference play, Duke now stands 2-0 in the ACC and 8-2 overall. After a two-week break, the Blue Devils will look to pull out a win against Georgia Tech on the road.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Sign up for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.