Last weekend, both men’s and women’s tennis kicked off their seasons in style, dominating their respective invitationals. Though both invitationals were cut a day short due to rain, the women’s team were able to collect 28 wins, while the men scored 19. Their opening weekends give players confidence leading up to this weekend’s Oberlin Invitational.
The Yeowomen traveled to The College of Wooster to compete in the Wooster Invitational. They walked away having won 16 out of 19 total singles matches, and all 12 of their scheduled doubles matches. Although all the athletes shined, first-years Anastasia Cheng and Arina Kuzmina were particularly impressive. Cheng won her singles matches 6–0, 6–0 and 6–2, 6–0, while Kuzmina dominated 6–2, 6–0 and 6–0. They also won their doubles match as a pairing 6–0.
“I thought everyone did really well with sticking to their strengths,” third-year Eva Lopez remarked. “Everyone on this team has something that they’re really good at. Everyone has a different playing style […] and everyone showed that in their matches. You could see everyone trying their best game style on their opponents.”
The men’s team also excelled, notching 19 total wins in the Allegheny Invitational, including nine singles and ten doubles wins. Third-year Max Brose, fourth-year Zain Makada, third-year Brady Huggett, and second-years Cameron Weiss and Dash Smith all won in straight sets, with both Weiss and Smith defeating their opponents 6–1, 6–0. In the team’s doubles wins, the pairing of Huggett and fourth-year Ben Tichauer collected two wins, while eight other pairings also scored wins for the Yeomen.
This impressive showing was in part due to the emphasis the Yeomen have placed on doubles matches so far this season.
“During the first couple of weeks, we focused heavily on returning serves in doubles,” Head Coach Eric Ishida wrote in an email to the *Review.* “I thought that work showed in our doubles sets. Moving forward, we will continue to develop our ability to hit specific serve locations on demand and become more consistent in our execution.”
Though the invitationals, unlike competitions in the spring, do not name a winner, the strong performances of all players in the tennis program were encouraging. Success in the fall gives players and coaches confidence for the upcoming season.
“We are optimistic about the weekend and our season ahead,” Ishida wrote. “Our goal is to steadily improve each week and continue building on the foundation we have established. Early indicators suggest that this team has strong interpersonal relationships, sound leadership, and improved physicality.”
Both teams look ahead to this weekend, when they will host the first Oberlin Invitational on their newly refurbished Hunsinger Courts. The invitational will involve eight teams, a mix of Division II and Division III schools, and will be an opportunity for the college community to see firsthand the teams’ tennis expertise.
“I think it will be really cool to play on our home court and show support for everyone,” Lopez said. “And maybe even get some friends to come out and support.”