Syracuse Demolishes Louisville in First ACC Win
By Brad Klein
CitrusTV Women’s Tennis Beat Reporter
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – After close losses against Virginia and Boston College, Syracuse finally grabbed its first win the in the ACC. The Orange (7-4, 1-2 Atlantic Coast) downed Louisville (9-3, 1-1) with a 6-1 victory on the road in Kentucky on Friday.
The Orange once again got off to a running start, winning the doubles point for the third consecutive time. Sofya Golubovskaya and Maria Tritou topped Louisville’s Chloe Hamlin and Aleksandra Mally 6-2. Louisville evened the score with a 6-2 win on the second doubles court. But in the end, reigning All-American pair, Gabriela Knutson and Miranda Ramirez, continued their winning ways and gave the Orange the 1-0 lead.
Heading into singles, Guzal Yusupova was unable to shake off her doubles loss. Louisville’s Raven Neely dominated her in straight sets 6-0, 6-2. With the match suddenly tied, the Orange turned to No. 48 Gabriela Knutson to snatch the momentum back to SU’s side of the net. Knutson defeated Sena Suswam 6-2, 6-3 to give Syracuse a 2-1 lead.
Knutson’s doubles partner, No. 67 Miranda Ramirez, followed with a straight set victory of her own. She defeated No. 71 Aleksandra Mally. Mally, who has been struggling lately. This is her third consecutive loss on the singles court. Ramirez is trending in the opposite direction, having now won her last three singles matches.
Dina Hegab slammed the nail in the coffin for the Orange opposite Diana Wong. She won 6-1, 6-4 on the sixth singles court. She was demoted to #6 for Libi Mesh. Mesh has filled in nicely for the injured Sonya Trescheva, still on a roll after winning her match today. Maria Tritou also made a comeback in pro sets, stretching SU’s lead even more.
The Orange head down to South Bend for a matinee matchup with Notre Dame on Sunday.
