RICHMOND — Graduate student Yu Chen picked up a win at No. 2 singles, but William & Mary women’s tennis suffered a 4-1 loss to No. 44-ranked VCU in a four-hour marathon on Friday at the Thalhimer Tennis Center.
How It Happened
- VCU (9-1) took a 1-0 lead with the doubles point behind victories at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions.
- Singles was ultra-competitive with three matches, and potentially a fourth, going three sets.
- The Rams notched wins at No. 1 and No. 4 to open up a 3-0 lead.
- Chen rallied for a three-set win at the No. 2 position. After dropping the opening set to Tania Isabel Andrade Sabando, 6-4, the Tribe (3-4) graduate student answered with matching 6-4 wins in the second and third sets. She improved to 8-6 overall and 2-0 online two.
- Matches at No. 3 and No. 4 both went three sets as well. The Rams picked up the win at No. 4 and then closed it out with a victory at No. 5.
- At No. 3, junior Ine Stange dropped the opening set in a tiebreaker to Anja Draskovic. She answered with a 7-5 win in the second and led 4-1 in the third when here match was abandoned.
- In the final match at No. 6, VCU’s Tiziana Rossini and freshman Francesca Davis were likely headed to three sets as well. Rossini won the opening set, 6-3, before the Tribe rookie jumped out to a break lead in the second at 4-2 when the contest was stopped with the team result decided.
Up Next
The Tribe returns to action when it hosts George Mason at the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center on Sunday, Feb. 25. The match is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.
#44 VCU 4, William & Mary 1
Singles
No. 1 – Yelizaveta Karlova (VCU) def. Hedda Gurholt (W&M) – 7-6, 6-3
No. 2 – Yu Chen (W&M) def. Tania Isabel Andrade Sabando (VCU) – 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
No. 3 – Ine Stange (W&M) vs. Anja Draskovic (VCU) – DNF, 6-7, 7-5, 4-1
No. 4 – Emma Valletta (VCU) def. Mila Mejic (W&M) – 2-6, 6-2, 6-4
No. 5 – Emma Rizzetto (VCU) def. Emma Fernald (W&M) – 6-2, 6-3
No. 6 – Tiziana Rossini (VCU) vs. Francesca Davis (W&M) – DNF, 6-3, 4-2
Finishing Order: 4, 1, 2, 5*
Doubles
No. 1 – Chen/Fernald (W&M) vs. #47 Karlova/Valletta (VCU) – DNF, 4-5
No. 2 – Rossini/Rizzetto (VCU) def. Gurholt/Stange (W&M) – 6-4
No. 3 – Draskovic/Andrade Sabando (VCU) def. Davis/Vaissaud (W&M) – 6-2
Finishing Order: 3, 2*
