The Clemson women’s tennis team defeated the Charlotte 49ers 4-2 in a matchup filled with intense back-and-forth sets last Saturday, staying undefeated at the Duckworth Family Tennis Facility this season.
Juniors Sophia Hatton and Alexandra Anttila teamed up to dominate the opening doubles set against the 49ers, quickly advancing to 6-1 on court three early in the match.
Despite dropping three games in a row, Eleni Louka and Jenna Thompson came back to beat Lucia Quiterio and Ares Teixido Garcia of Charlotte by a score of 6-4 on court one. Thompson’s net defense and consecutive 40-40 scenario wins put the Tigers back in contention.
Charlotte was the first to strike in the singles round, with Lucia Aranda defeating Anttila on court six. Anttila could not find a rhythm against Aranda, coming away with three points to Aranda’s 12 (6-1, 6-2).
Clemson (5-1) remained in control of the lead with another strong performance from Hatton on court four, winning big in both sets (6-2, 6-4) against Charlotte’s Sara Suchankova.
Barcelona native Cristina Mayorova continued to display her skills for the Tigers this season – although she was trading sets nearly every time, she stayed cool and produced consistent plays to rally against Lucie Petruzelova on court two, winning both sets by a score of 6-4.
With a 3-1 lead, Charlotte fought back to stay in the competition. Quiterio took the first set 6-3 after losing in the first three, though Louka answered hard in the second set, firmly winning 6-1. Fatigue and smart play from Quiterio ultimately got the best of Louka, as she lost in the final match 6-1 on court one.
In possibly the most competitive and passionate match of the day, Clemson’s Leigh Van Zyl defeated Shona Nakano, a fast and fiery competitor for Charlotte, on court five to wrap up the day. She won the first set in an intense tiebreaker and scratched in the second (7-5, 6-4).
Finally, Thompson’s competition on court three proved to be ruthless as she faced Teixido Garcia in a back-and-forth affair. Each player took a set (6-1, 3-6), but Van Zyl won to cement Clemson’s 4-2 victory.
The Tigers will stay in town to take on Georgia Southern at the Duckworth Family Tennis Facility on Saturday, Feb. 10, at 10 a.m.
