Emma Bulman
The Clemson women's tennis team split its weekend series, losing to Duke but defeating North Carolina A&T, at The Duckworth Family Tennis Facility.
The then-No. 24 Clemson women’s tennis team split the doubleheader against Duke and North Carolina A&T on Sunday at The Duckworth Family Tennis Facility. The Tigers fell to the Blue Devils 0-4, but the team took down the Aggies 6-1 shortly after.
The Tigers (11-5, 1-4 ACC) faced a big hurdle in their first game against the then-No. 10 team in the nation, Duke. Clemson struggled to find its footing in the doubles department. Gaia Parravicini and Amelie Smejkalova of Clemson faced the No. 14 duo in the country, Irina Balus and Ellie Coleman, who got the best of them by a score of 6-1.
Duke players Shavit Kimchi and Ava Krug took down Clemson’s Candela Yecora and Romana Cisovska, 6-3, to secure the doubles point for Duke.
In singles play, Yecora was taken down by Coleman in straight sets, 3-6, 3-6. Clemon’s Sophia Hatton couldn’t hang with Duke’s Liv Hovde, falling 4-6, 4-6 in a battle. In the decider, Cisovska was defeated by No. 29-ranked Emma Jackson 3-6, 3-6, to seal the victory for the Blue Devils.
However, the North Carolina A&T matchup wrote a different narrative with a dominant 6-1 win for the Tigers.
The Tigers started a point ahead in the doubles matchup with a forfeit victory on Court No. 3. Court No. 1 came to a close as the lethal duo of Parravicini and Smejkalova took down the Aggies’ Dorsa Chergi and Juana Gomez Weiss 6-0. To wrap up doubles play, Davis and Hatton took down the Aggies’ Randy Rakotoairlala and Hana El Sharif 6-3.
In singles play against North Carolina A&T, the Tigers dominated with decisive victories. Smejkalova led the way with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Chergi, showcasing her control and consistency. Annabelle Davis followed with a 6-2, 6-1 victory against Rakotoairlala, while Cisovska quickly dispatched El Sherif 6-1, 6-1. Parravicini continued the momentum with a decisive 6-1, 6-0 win over Weiss.
Although Clemson freshman Kinsey Crawford battled hard in her debut, she fell to Flavia Villegas in a tight 2-6, 6-3, 1-0 (11-9) tiebreaker. Villegas is undefeated through all six of her matchups this season in the singles five spots.
The Tigers were awarded a forfeit, contributing to their dominant 6-1 scoreline.
Next up is a trip to Tennessee to take on Memphis on Saturday, March 15, at 1 p.m.