Syracuse Moves on to the Second Round with a 4-2 Win over Wisconsin
By Brad Klein
CitrusTV Women’s Tennis Beat Reporter
STANFORD, CA – The No. 31 Syracuse Women’s Tennis team (14-12, 5-9 Atlantic Coast) captured its second NCAA tournament win in program history on Saturday with a 4-2 win over No. 35 Wisconsin (18-6, 9-2 BIG 10).
The Orange set the tone out of the gate in its first-ever meeting against the Badgers with a dominant doubles showing. SU had lost ten consecutive doubles points, but the two ranked pairs changed the narrative. No. 55 Gabriela Knutson and Miranda Ramirez won 6-1 while No. 81 Sofya Golubovskaya and Sonya Trescheva took their set by the same score.
Wisconsin seized the momentum from Syracuse immediately in singles. The Badgers won the first set on the top three singles courts against Knutson, Golubovskaya and Ramirez, respectively.
No. 88 Sarah Castellano would go on to upset No. 14 Knutson 6-3, 6-2. This was an alarming sign as the Orange were just 2-6 as a team when Knutson loses her singles match heading into this dual.
Wisconsin broke the tie shortly after with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Golubovskaya. But Orange responded with a straight-set victory on the sixth singes court by Dina Hegab.
Despite losing the first set, No. 99 Ramirez stormed back to take a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 win. Guzal Yusupova clinched for SU with a 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 victory of her own in the junior’s first win since March.
The Orange survive and advance to the second round tomorrow where they will play No. 3 Stanford at 3 p.m.
bwklein@syr.edu | @BradKlein15
